UPA-Left to decide nuclear deal fate: Karat

As the government hopes to wrap up negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) soon on the safeguards agreement, CPI(M) today said there was no forward movement on the Indo-US nuclear deal as the UPA-Left committee would decide its fate.

"It has gone to the IAEA, it will come back to this committee which we have set up. When that comes we will see. It is not going forward anywhere," CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat said.

He said the understanding between the UPA and the Left was that the government would negotiate with the IAEA on the safeguards treaty and bring the outcome to the committee, set up to iron out differences on the issue.

"Let it (the negotiations with IAEA) be over and come to the committee. It is not going beyond that anywhere now," he told reporters after releasing the draft political resolution for the CPI(M)'s 19th Party Congress.

"Let it rest where it is now," he added.

The 55-page draft resolution talks about the firm stand taken by the CPI(M) and other Left parties to oppose the deal and its decision to do whatever is necessary to block the agreement.

"Faced with the political consequences of such a confrontation with the Left, the Congress and the UPA decided not to proceed further with the operationalisation of the agreement," it said.

The party views the strong opposition to the deal as a "significant step in the struggle to prevent the US making India its junior partner," it said.