Third front, CPI meet over Indo-US nuke deal

Leaders of the third front United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA) met the Communists Party of India (CPI) members here today to chalk out a common stance on the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal.

New Delhi, Oct 25 : Leaders of the third front United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA) met the Communists Party of India (CPI) members here today to chalk out a common stance on the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal.

The meeting came a day after UNPA leaders met the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leaders to discuss the nuke deal.

Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav said after the meeting that the Left parties and the UNPA have similar concerns over the bilateral deal.

"This is a question of the country and not a particular party. If you read about the nuclear deal then you will know that the country will not benefit from it for many years in the future. If they want to make nuclear reactors, we can make them better from our own resources in the same time. The deal is dangerous for our sovereignty," Mulayam said.

CPI General Secretary of A .B. Bardhan echoed the words of UNPA leaders, saying, "We have taken a pledge to come together on a platform to find answers for the questions of the people of India and in the process an alternative (third front) can also be worked out."

India is facing an informal end-October deadline to begin securing clearances from the IAEA and others to clinch the deal

UNPA's parleys with the Left parties came even as US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns said on Monday that time was running out for the landmark nuclear deal.

The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and its Communist allies agreed earlier this week to hold next month another meeting over the deal, clearly indicating that New Delhi had backtracked on pushing the pact into the backburner.

India needs to conclude a safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency, get approvals from the Nuclear Suppliers Group and a second backing from the U.S. Congress before the deal can come into force.

Although it faces no formal deadline, Washington wants the pact -- considered highly lucrative for American firms -- clinched next year before the end of Bush's term to avoid its fate becoming uncertain under a new administration.

The bilateral civilian nuclear cooperation deal aims to lift a three-decade ban on sales of US nuclear fuel and reactors to India, which was imposed after it conducted a nuclear test in 1974 while staying out of non-proliferation agreements.

ANI