Ahead of the first meeting of the joint mechanism with the UPA on Tuesday to assess the implications of Hyde Act on the Indo-US nuclear agreement, Left parties on Monday toughened their stand and stepped up criticism against the government.
Signalling that they would not yield to any compromises, Left leaders said nobody could convince them that the Hyde Act does not have any implications on the nuclear deal and maintained that they will not care if the country ?missed the nuclear bus.? The tough stand by the Left, however, is being seen as posturing by the government before the first meeting of the political mechanism.
CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat said on Monday that ?Nobody could convince the Left that the Hyde Act has no role or effect on the 123 agreement.? Saying that the nuclear issue is not the one, which can be argued in a court of law, he said the Left will use the mechanism as a method to convince the Centre that the nuclear deal will only serve only the American purpose.
At a public convention on the deal organised here, in which several scientists apart from TDP and SP leaders batted for the Left, Karat and his CPI counterpart AB Bardhan stepped up their attack on the government.
Karat also said that the Left has ?a few weeks to go to the people,? as the government is ?in a hurry? to put the agreement in operation. ?During the jathas we experienced that the people understand and respond to this issue,? he said. CPI general secretary AB Bardhan said the Left will not care ?if the country missed the nuclear bus.? ?We understand the bus the Prime Minister is talking about is headed towards the America?s stretched hands,? he said.
?This is not just a matter of the Left parties. There is a major departure from country?s independent foreign policy. We are trying to create a public opinion against the deal,? Karat said.
Taking a dig at science and techonolgy minister Kapil Sibal, who was consistent in defending the government, Karat said: ?They have eminent lawyers on their side. But this is not a matter to be argued in a court of law.? Claiming that the Left is not alone, he said that when the Iran vote at IAEA issue came up, there were only hundred members with them. ?But on this issue, the majority of Parliament is with us,? he added.
