The CPI(M) will move a breach of privilege motion against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Parliament on Friday for “violating” the assurance he had given in Lok Sabha during the July 22 trust vote that he would seek the guidance of the House before operationalising the 123 agreement.The CPI(M) and the Left parties plan to corner the Government on the first day of the month-long session by moving the motion. Basudeb Acharia, the CPI(M)’s Parliamentary Party leader in Lok Sabha, has sought permission to raise the Indo-US nuclear deal issue.“The Prime Minister had given an assurance on the floor of the House during the trust vote debate that he would come back to Parliament after securing the approval from IAEA and NSG and before signing the 123 agreement. He has no done so. It is a breach of privilege,” said Acharia.Initiating the debate on the trust motion, Singh had said that “if the Government was allowed to complete the negotiations with the IAEA on its safeguard agreement, and after the decision of the NSG, I would myself come to Parliament and seek its guidance before operationalising the Civil Nuclear Energy Cooperation Agreement, which we intended to enter into.”Sources in the CPI(M) said it is all set to take on the Prime Minister on the nine assurances he had given to Parliament related to fuel supply, reprocessing rights and access to full civilian nuclear technology and will have floor coordination with members of the TDP, BSP and JD(S), besides other Left parties.It will also seek to put the Government on the mat on the issue of anti-Christian violence in the states of Orissa and Karnataka. “We would like to know from the Government as to what action it has taken to ensure that the Orissa Government prevents anti-Christian violence in the state.”“There is still no clarity on usage of Article 355. Some media reports said that the Centre had issued an advisory, while others say that it had used Article 355 of the Constitution. We would like to know what the Central Government has done and what was the response of the Orissa government,” a senior CPI(M) leader said. Another demand would be to cut the petrol prices. The CPI(M) Central Committee which met in Kolkata earlier this week demanded that fuel prices be slashed immediately as international crude prices have come down sharply and is now around USD 75 to 80 per barrel. “The Government had increased the price of petrol and diesel by Rs 4 and 2 at a time when the international crude price was USD 120 per barrel. The Government should now cut the price by Rs 4 and 2 for petrol and diesel respectively,” the leader added.
