New Delhi: Even as Congress President Sonia Gandhi blew the election bugle - with her statement calling the ones against the nuclear deal enemies of the country - the Left parties have hit back with vengeance.
Taking strong exception to Sonia’s comments, senior Left leaders alleged the Congress was forcing elections on the country and that Left has no choice but to pull out of the Government.
“We have to pullout. There is no doubt about it. We told them categorically not to go ahead, they are going ahead. We have no other alternative but to withdraw ourselves,” he said.
The parties insisted that their opposition to the nuclear deal with the US was a "principled position which cannot be compromised" as they believe the pact was not in the interest of the country.
CPI general secretary AB Bardhan too was scathing in his attack and said the Left was prepared for the eventuality of a mid-term poll.
“Congress is trying to precipitate the election and they are simply imposing the election on people. If that is the case we are ready for it. It is the Congress which will be responsible if the governments falls and an election is imposed on the country,” he said.
However, he was careful about the party’s pull-out strategy. So much so, he went on to add that the Left was trying its best and its presence in the committee was a pointer in this direction.
"We never said that we are withdrawing our support. We never said that we are going to pull you down," Bardhan added.
CPI Secretary D Raja also echoed the opinion and was quoted by news agencies as saying that Left was not to blame for this situation. “It appears that the Congress is forcing elections on the people. The Left is not instrumental in plunging the country to another elections,” he said.
Asserting that Left has been opposing the nuclear deal in national interest, Raja said the Left has always identified with peace and development. “It is the Left which has been peace movement and fighting for nuclear disarmament,” he said.
However, CPI-M General Secretary Prakash Karat declined to give an immediate reaction.
CPI-M politburo member Sitaram Yechury made it clear that the October 9 and 15 meetings of the Left-UPA panel would make it clear whether the country was heading for mid-term polls.
Echoing similar views, Forward Bloc General Secretary Debabrata Biswas said the Left opposition was a "principled position which cannot be compromised."
"The nuclear deal will not only influence our nuclear independence but will also adversely affect our economic and foreign policies, he said, adding the "people will decide who is right or wrong."
It started when Sonia Gandhi, in a sharp but veiled attack on the Left, strongly defended the nuclear deal at a party meeting in Haryana and alleged "elements" opposed to the country's progress were enemies not only of the Congress but also of the nation's development.
Taking a belligerent stance, she urged people to give a befitting reply to the those opposing the deal. The statement comes a day after both the Congress chief as well as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh indicated that the Congress was considering mid-term elections as an option.
(With agency inputs)
Comments
0 comment