Cong should take flexible stand on nuke deal: CPI-M

KOLKATA: The Congress should take a flexible stand on the Indo-US nuclear deal and closely consider the implications of tying the Hyde Act with the deal, senior CPI-M leader and politburo member Biman Bose said on Sunday.

Saying the "ball is now in the Congress' court", Bose told reporters, "We do not want to be a party to any deal that sacrifices the nation's interest.

"The Congress should not demonstrate an unrelenting attitude. What we are saying is in the interest of the country. We cannot allow the country's interest to be jeopardised. And we do not keep in mind the losses or gains in political terms when we see the country's interests.

"We want the Congress leadership to think twice, five times or even six times on the issues raised by the Left parties and it seems they are doing exactly that."

Explaining the CPI-M's stand, Bose, also the chairman of West Bengal's ruling Left Front, said if the nuclear deal was operationalised, the Hyde Act would enable the US administration to interfere in India's affairs.

Asked if the state's industrialisation process, which accelerated after the Centre's favourable response, would receive a setback in the event of the collpase of the UPA government, Bose said, "We do not want industrialisation while sacrificing the national interest. We do not want industrialisation that mortgages the country's interests."