Left softens after Prime Minister hardens stand

New Delhi: The Left parties on Saturday downplayed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's challenge to withdraw their support on the Indo-US civil nuclear deal, maintaining that they "are going to oppose it" and "everything should not be linked with pulling down the government."

While senior CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury and CPI's D Raja went roundabout reacting to Singh's statement, their junior allies, RSP and Forward Bloc, were forthright saying the Left support cannot be taken for granted.

Asked whether the Left will withdraw support, Yechury said: "Everything should not be linked with pulling down the government. Our concern is with the nuclear deal.

Governments will come and go, but the agreement will remain. Our opposition will also remain."

Yechury, the leader of CPI-M in Parliament, told reporters in Hyderabad that the Prime Minister's statement was "not in consonance with our viewpoint."

Raja said in New Delhi that the Left was "not in agreement" with it and "that is why we have asked the government not to operationalise the deal."

All the four parties wanted a debate in Parliament, but none of them said they wanted it under a rule which entails voting. Opposition BJP and the UNPA constituents want the debate to be held under such a rule.

The Left leaders were reacting to Singh's statement telling them bluntly that "it is not possible to renegotiate the deal."

"It is an honourable deal, the Cabinet has approved it, we cannot go back on it. I told them to do whatever they want to do, if they want to withdraw support, so be it...." the PM had told two Left leaders on Tuesday.

Yechury said the Left is going to oppose the nuclear deal "because of the reasons which we have given. Now, the Prime Minister and everybody else may think that those reasons are not valid, that is their opinion." He said there was 'difference of opinion' and 'difference of perception' between Left and government on the deal.

There was, however, no immediate comments from CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat, who had warned the government that it will have to pay a 'heavy political price' if it went ahead with the nuclear deal.

"We will oppose the deal in Parliament. The UPA is a minority in Parliament. If the government pursues the deal, we will also go to the people and it will have to pay a heavy political price," Karat, who is in Kerala, had said earlier.