No nuke deal move for 6 months, Karat tells govt

Ahead of the crucial meeting of the UPA-Left committee on the nuclear deal, CPI(M) today asked the government not to operationalise the controversial agreement with the US for at least six months.

Addressing a party rally against the deal here, CPM general secretary Prakash Karat said the government should wait for a full-fledged discussion on the Indo-US nuclear deal in Parliament before proceeding with it.

"Do not operationalise the deal for at least six months. The government should wait for the outcome of a discussion in Parliament before taking any decision in this matter," Karat said.

The Left parties have already submitted a note containing their apprehensions over the nuclear deal and the Hyde Act, to which the government has responded. These notes would come up for discussion at the third meeting of the Left-UPA panel here tomorrow.