CPM support only if N-deal is dropped: Karat

The CPI-M Central Committee today said it does not want the current nuclear crisis to affect the government but it is contingent upon the government not proceeding further with the civil nuclear deal with the US further.

If the government operationalises the nuclear agreement then the future of the government lies in their hands, Prakash Karat, general secretary, CPI-M said after the Central Committee meeting.

"If we do not support, how will this government go on," Karat said. The Central Committee has fully authorised the politburo to take whatever steps necessary to see that the nuclear agreement with the US is not operationalised.

When asked what the options, Karat said "we will discuss that when they operationalise the agreement."

Updated at 1500 hrs: The CPI-M Central Committee today authorised the party's top leadership to take "appropriate decision at an appropriate time" to block the Indo-US nuclear deal.

At the end of the two-day meeting, senior party leaders said on grounds of anonymity that a strong message is being sent to the Congress-led coalition that the 123 agreement should not be operationalised without addressing the major concerns expressed by the Left parties.

"We will withdraw support to the government if it goes ahead with operationalising the agreement. The Central Committee has endorsed the stand of the Politburo in this regard and authorised it to take an appropriate decision at an appropriate time," the leaders said, emerging out of the two-day meeting which started here yesterday.

The Left parties, which would now closely follow Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) chairman Anil Kakodkar's visit to Vienna to attend the IAEA's General Assembly, have made it clear that they have no objection on him attending the meet as a member of the IAEA Board.

Their ground for objection is that during this meeting, Kakodkar should not begin formal negotiations on a safeguards agreement with the United Nations' watchdog body on the basis of the 123 agreement.