No takers in Left for Manmohan's challenge

In a calculative move, the Left parties have refused to take on the government over Prime Minister Manmohan Singh challenge to them to topple the government on the 123 Agreement.

Reacting to PM's remark, CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat said, "As far as the approach to the government is concerned, we will take our own counsel."

He also asked the government to realise that 123 Agreement was not acceptable to the majority in Parliament.

Reiterating the party's anti-US stand, Karat said, "We do not share the optimism that India can become a great power with the help of the United States. India is a country endowed with sufficient resources and self-confidence to carve out its own path of development."

In Hyderabad, CPI(M) Politburo member Sitaram Yechury said, "Why should everything be linked to pulling down the government? It will not serve any purpose."

In Delhi, the CPI also asserted that their main objective was to discuss and debate differences rather than destabilising the government.

D Raja, CPI leader of Rajya Sabha, said: "This should not be seen as if we are challenging each other. We want to discuss our differences, not challenge each other. PM says, he has discussed with us at every step. But we never said, we will give our concurrence all along."

The Prime Minister has shown uncharacteristic firmness against the Left opposition on the Indo-US nuclear deal. On Friday he warned a small group of Left leaders "not to harass" the government. Earlier,the PM had categorically conveyed to the Left that the deal can't be re-negotiated.

As the government sends a strong signal that it is not going to back out on the deal, Left parties are finding it difficult to stretch its opposition to the Indo-US nuclear deal beyond debate.

According to a PTI report, Yechury told reporters at Hyderabad that the CPI(M) was only concerned about national interests and its main demand was that the deal should not be operationalised.

"We are not talking about personalities here. Our concerns should not be seen as a threat to anybody. It relates to policy... The governments will come and go but the agreements will remain," he said.