Sena hits out at Left parties on nuclear deal issue

MUMBAI: Shiv Sena on Saturday took potshots at the Left parties over the nuclear deal controversy, but remained non-committal regarding it's own stand on the deal.

"Perhaps Left was not bothered about the deal per se, but they wanted to show China how they brought the government on its knees, made the Prime Minister prostrate and Pranab Mukherjee run around," an editorial in the Saturday's edition of party's mouthpiece 'Saamana' said.

The Left's opposition to Indo-US nuclear deal has created a 'public opinion' that by doing so, the left parties are weakening the nation and it amounts to 'treachery', the editorial said.

In a more explicit tone, the editorial further asks, "A scientist like Dr Anil Kakodkar approved of the deal, would he do it without studying it? Does the Left think that only Yechuri, Prakash Karat and D Raja can figure out the deal and Manmohan Singh and Dr Kakodkar cannot?"

Referring to industrialist Ratan Tata's statement, backing the nuclear deal, it said that Tata's own patriotism cannot be questioned.

Terming Left's hullabaloo over the deal as a 'drama', it said that now there seems to be a truce, with Left doing a U-turn on their threat to withdraw support, and agreeing to the formation of a committee to study the deal.

As to Shiv Sena's own stand, the editorial said, in a sarcastic tone, "All we have to say is we are studying the deal, just like Congress, BJP and the Left parties are studying it."