The CPM will take a definite call on the Indo-US nuclear deal issue in April-end when the UPA government will convey its considered position, CPM politburo member Sitaram Yechury said here today.

“We have asked them not to get the deal ratified by the IAEA board of governors because the deal will be on autopilot from the moment that is done. The government will be taking a risk if it goes ahead with it,” said Yechury while briefing the media at the 19th congress of the CPM.

Asked specifically if it meant that the Left would finally withdraw support to the government, Yechury said: “Akalmand ko ishara kaafi hai (the wise can take a hint)”.

Yechury said a “very strong opinion” was emerging in discussions at the ongoing party congress to begin pushing for a third alternative to NDA and UPA. He said this could involve drawing in “a large number of interested parties, and not just Left parties”, subscribing to the three broad planks of opposing communalism, opposing the “anti-people content of economic reforms” and opposing the “country being made subordinate to US interests”. The final lap of deliberations on this would be tomorrow, he said.

At the party congress today, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee moved a scathing resolution against the UPA government for “belying all expectations” on improving Centre-state relations. The resolution came down on the government’s “failure to implement” any recommendation of the Sarkaria Commission, besides “doing nothing” to have safeguards against the abuse of Article 356 of the Constitution. It also pointed to the new and “alarming tendency to misinterpret Article 355” to unilaterally send in Central forces to the states.

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