Singh's leftist allies issue fresh threat over nuke deal with US

Dec 10, 2007, 11:39 GMT

New Delhi - Communist partners of India's ruling United Progressive Alliance have issued a fresh threat to the government to end talks over the civilian nuclear deal with the United States, news reports said Monday.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat was quoted by local newspapers as saying that there would be early elections if the Congress party-led UPA did not pull out of negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) by the end of December.

Indian officials have been in talks with the IAEA on an India-specific safeguards agreement which is needed to implement the nuclear deal.

Besides the four communist parties which provide crucial support to Manmohan Singh's coalition in parliament, the nuclear deal has been criticized by the main opposition Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP).

The communists who had threatened to withdraw support on various occasions over the last four months, had allowed the government to open talks with the IAEA last month.

But Karat addressing an internal party meeting in New Delhi recently said the government should stop negotiations with the IAEA.

'We don't want the BJP to benefit from the fall of the government but we do not want them to carry on with the IAEA talks beyond December,' Karat was quoted by the Asian Age daily as saying.

'When they come back from the talks now, that is enough. But if the government goes ahead with the talks, then it should be prepared for mid-term polls,' Karat told party activists on Saturday.

A team from India's department of atomic energy left New Delhi for Vienna on Sunday for further talks with IAEA.

The proposed deal is expected to allow the US to export fissile technology and materials to India after a 30-year ban. India would in return open its civilian reactors to international inspection.

Analysts feel that nuclear deal may not materialize due to the strident opposition by the communists. The left-wing parties are traditionally opposed to India's close ties with the US and have said the agreement would have serious implications for the country's strategic sovereignty and foreign policy.