By IANS
Jhajjar (Haryana) : Congress president Sonia Gandhi Sunday hit out at her Left allies publicly for the first time, saying those opposing the India-US nuclear deal were against the country’s development.
In remarks bound to further strain the ties between the Congress and its communist allies, Gandhi told a massive rally here that the nuclear deal was “necessary for the country to keep the pace of development going.”
“We have a proposal for a nuclear deal with the US. The deal is necessary for the country to keep the pace of development going. Power generation is important and central to our future requirements if we want development to take place,” she said at the public meeting organised by the ruling Congress.
The Left bloc led by the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) is the most vocal critic of the India-US deal. The communists say the pact will make India a junior partner to the US in strategic and foreign affairs.
“Some people are trying to create obstacles in the country’s path of development. They are against development and peace both. You should be on guard against them,” she said.
“Those who have been creating hindrances in the implementation of development programmes were enemies of not only the Congress government but also of the common people. Therefore, such elements should be given a befitting reply.”
Gandhi’s speech in Hindi in a town some 130 km from New Delhi came even as External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee met West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhatacharya and Marxist veteran Jyoti Basu in Kolkata apparently to discuss the dragging Congress-Left differences over the nuclear deal.
The Left has warned of “serious consequences” if the government makes the nuclear deal operational. A withdrawal of support by the Left would reduce the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government into a minority in the Lok Sabha, leading to possible early general elections.
A 15-member UPA-Left committee formed to address the Left concerns has held three meetings but there are no signs of resolving the standoff between the two sides.
Gandhi, who spoke after laying the foundation stone for a 1,500 MW Indira Gandhi super thermal power plant, said the nuclear deal was necessary for the country’s future requirements of power.
Gandhi’s outburst is seen as a clear indication of an imminent mid-term poll. Gandhi said Saturday that her party was ready to face a snap poll.
She patted the Manmohan Singh government for the nuclear deal and for initiating welfare schemes for people, especially women and poor, in the period it has been in office since May 2004.
Gandhi also attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for raking up objections to the Sethusamudram shipping canal project in the narrow sea between India and Sri Lanka.
“Politics is being done in the name of Lord Ram. I hope the issue is resolved amicably,” she said.
“The Congress has equal respect for all religions,” she added, while greeting people in the country for the forthcoming festival season.
Besides the Indira Gandhi super thermal power plant, which is to be built by 2010 for Rs.80 billion, Gandhi also laid the foundation stone of the Rs.2.46 billion National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management at Kundli in Sonepat district.