Veteran Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Jyoti Basu on Monday ruled out mid-term polls over Indo-US civil nuclear deal, which the Left alliance is opposing.
Kolkata, Aug 20 : Veteran Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Jyoti Basu on Monday ruled out mid-term polls over Indo-US civil nuclear deal, which the Left alliance is opposing.
Denying speculation of withdrawal of his party's support to the Manmohan Singh Government, Basu ruled out mid-term elections.
He further said that discussions would be held in the Parliament on the Indo-US nuclear deal, which does not entail voting.
The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government is facing its worst crisis since coming to power in 2004 with the Left allies angered over the deal.
They have warned of "serious consequences" for the government if it proceeds ahead operationalising the nuclear deal, which still needs to be approved by the US Congress.
The pact with Washington will result in ending three decades of American sanctions on nuclear trade with India, but the Left parties argue that it would undermine India's nuclear security and sovereignty.
The Congress on Sunday mooted a proposal for forming a committee, which would include Left party members and diplomats to look into their concerns over the nuclear deal.
Earlier today, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Third Front demanded the appointment of a Parliamentary panel to study the pact.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesman V K Malhotra said if any mechanism or committee had to be formed it should involve all political parties.
"This is not a Congress or a Communist family affair. This is a matter of national interest. So, if some mechanism or committee has to be made, then a parliamentary committee has to be formed. A committee from both houses of Parliament should be formed in which people from all parties should be included. Until then, the government should not move forward with the nuke deal," Malhotra said.
He said that the BJP has no immediate plans of bringing a no-confidence motion against the Government.
Meanwhile, the Third Front, the conglomeration of regional parties which includes the Samajwadi Party (SP), the AIADMK of Tamil Nadu and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), has also demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee to look into the deal.
Samajwadi Party General Secretary Amar Singh has suggested that the nuclear deal should be ratified by the Parliament. He said that it is not adequate that the deal should be cleared by the Cabinet, "which is a handful of people picked up by the Prime Minister". He added: "In a democracy like India, Parliament is supreme, the deal should be ratified by both houses."
The CPI-M had suggested the setting up a panel or mechanism to study the implications of the Hyde Act and putting any further progress on the nuclear on hold till it submits its report.
However, the UPA leadership, which met late Sunday and decided to set up the experts' panel, refused to put the deal on hold.
ANI