By IANS
New Delhi : The Left has taken a “flexible stand” on the India-US nuclear deal to let the government discuss the issue with the international nuclear watchdog but it has not given a “blank cheque” to the Manmohan Singh government, said a senior communist leader.
“We have taken a flexible stand and allowed the government to hold discussions on the safeguard agreement (with the International Atomic Energy Agency). But we have not given a blank cheque,” Gurudas Dasgupta, leader of the Communist Party of India (CPI) in the Lok Sabha, told reporters here.
He said the government would have to come back to the United Progressive Alliance (UPA)-Left committee, formed to address the concerns expressed by the communists over the nuclear deal, and explain the negotiations with the IAEA.
“We are reasonable,” Dasgupta said.
While reports say the Left parties have given a green signal to the government for the IAEA talks, no Left leader would confirm it publicly.
Dasgupta asserted that there was no ‘u-turn’ on the stance of the Left, which has been opposing the deal saying that it would harm India’s independent foreign policy and its indigenous nuclear programme.
The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M)-led Left block has threatened serious consequences if the government went ahead with the operationalisation of the deal.