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N-Deal: RSP questions relevance of Govt proposed committee

RSP on Tuesday sounded a discordant note by asking what was the point of having such a body when the party was opposed to the accord.

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NEW DELHI: As major Left parties expressed willingness to consider Government's proposal to form a committee to resolve differences over the nuclear deal, RSP on Tuesday sounded a discordant note by asking what was the point of having such a body when the party was opposed to the accord.

After a 30-minute meeting with top Congress leaders including Pranab Mukherjee, RSP leader Abani Roy said, "what is the need for having a committee when we are opposed to the deal. Differences may persist even after it is formed."

However, Roy said he would discuss the matter with his party leadership and convey the decision to them.

"Besides the nuclear issue, we are opposed to the government on its performance in the domestic front too," he added.

The RSP Central Committee would have a three-day meeting here from September two.

Earlier, Forward Bloc General Secretary Debabrata Biswas, who separately met the Congress leadership including A K Antony and Ahmed Patel, said his party would "definitely" join such a committee as the perceptions on the Indo-US nuclear deal were "political" and had to be resolved politically.

To questions, Biswas said no dates have yet been fixed for a meeting between the ruling UPA coalition and Left leaders on the matter.

The three Congress leaders had held discussions with top leaders of CPI (M) and CPI yesterday in an effort to resolve the crisis triggered by Left parties' demand that the government should not operationalise the deal.

Biswas, accompanied by his party leader G Devarajan, favoured a political solution to the issue, saying it should be "settled politically."

Asked whether Forward Bloc would like to be part of the committee, he said "definitely, yes. The government will decide on its composition. It should be a political committee which will invite scientists and experts on the nuclear issue to elicit their views".

Biswas said the Congress leaders would first discuss the issues raised by the Left within their party and then with the UPA, before a Left-UPA meeting could be held.

While there was no word from Congress, the Left leaders insisted that the proposed mechanism to go into issues arising out of the Hyde Act and the 123 agreement should be dealt at the political level involving leaders from both sides.
    
When pointed that BJP-led NDA had also opposed the deal, Biswas said it was their government earlier which had initiated steps to get close to the US strategic line.

"They never constituted such a committee despite entering into major international agreements. The UPA has done so after the issue has been raised by the Left," he added.

Later RSP leader Abani Roy told reporters "we have already made it clear that we are not satisfied with government's performance on the economic front, particularly on issues like price rise, employment generation, education and healthcare. On top of it, now we have the nuclear deal."

Asked about withdrawal of support to the UPA government, he said the Left parties have to review the matter on all these counts. "The Prime Minister's statement has triggered the differences," he added.

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