Committee on N-deal may be announced on Monday

NEW DELHI: The composition of the committee to allay the Left parties' concerns over the Indo-US nuclear deal is likely to be announced on Monday, even as the verbal duel between leaders of the ruling UPA coalition and its supporting parties continued today.

Reacting to Congress President Sonia Gandhi's statement that the deal was in India's 'long term interest', CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta said "we do not accept this statement. To give such a certificate to the nuclear deal is not reasonable".

He told reporters here that Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who said India could not afford to miss the 'bus of nuclear renaissance', should not be making such statements.

Meanwhile, highly-placed sources said the composition of the committee to deal with the Left concerns over the nuclear deal was likely to be announced tomorrow.

Besides leaders of the Left parties, it is likely to be headed by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, and comprise leaders of Congress and other UPA parties.

In her letter appearing the Congress organ, Gandhi emphasised that throughout the negotiations with the US, Left parties and Opposition have been kept informed.

But Dasgupta disagreed with this, saying "the Left parties were not informed about the any discussion" on the 123 agreement.

CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan has also taken exception to the Prime Minister's statement saying "some people are having a misconception that all the gates of heaven will be opened by signing the nuclear treaty".

He also wanted a national debate on whether "complete subjugation of India's foreign policy to imperialist powers" was too heavy a price to be paid for merely seven per cent power generation in 2020.

The Left parties, meanwhile, would hit the streets from Tuesday to launch a nationwide mass campaign against India's participation in the joint naval exercises involving America from September four to six in the Bay of Bengal.

The four parties would start two simultaneous processions from Chennai and Kolkata to protest the naval wargames, besides organising separate campaigns against the "anti-people" policies of the government.

The two 'jathas' would meet at Vishakhapatnam on September eight to coincide with the conclusion of the joint exercises Indian Navy will have with those of the US, Japan, Australia and Singapore.

Maintaining that Indian armed forces were conducting a majority of such wargames with the US forces, CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat has said these would "interlock" Indian armed forces with American forces leading the country to acquire the status of a US ally undermining national interests.

He said the naval exercises, nuclear deal and the economic policies of the government designed to advance the interests of US capital were "parts of the trio which are harmful for India's sovereignty, independent foreign policy and the people's economic interests".