Left is focussed on blocking nuke deal: Yechury

CPM’s polit bureau leader Sitaram Yechury was away when general secretary Prakash Karat pulled the plug. It raised rumours of a crack in the party. Yechury tells Zee News’ Swati Chaturvedi on ‘Kahiye Janab’ that the Left is focussed to make the deal dead.

Left leaders have blown a political storm in the power corridors across the country. Nuclear deal has (finally) put the government in a tight spot and there is a tug war of sorts for MPs. CPM’s polit bureau leader Sitaram Yechury was away when general secretary Prakash Karat pulled the plug. It raised rumours of a crack in the party as even Speaker Somnath Chatterjee threatned to resign from Lok Sabha if pressurised to quit. Sitaram Yechury tells Zee News’ Swati Chaturvedi on ‘Kahiye Janab’ that the Left is focussed to make the deal dead. Excerpts:

Swati: Haven’t you and Karat brought your personal egos in this entire nuclear deal drama? Yechury: The question is of policy and principle. Its about the future of our country and we think the deal is not good for us. We supported the UPA on Common Minimum Programme (CMP) and nuclear deal or strategic alliance with the USA are not mentioned in it. So we have decided to pull out… Swati: But tell me can there still be an understanding after all this circus of a political show? Yechury: You may call it a circus or whatever, we just want to stop this deal. Swati:Doesn’t the coming together of Amar Singh and Sonia Gandhi reduce your political weight in case of a future alliance? Yechury: Que Sera Sera….what will be, will be. The alliances being forged today are only on the issue on the nuclear energy deal. Swati:You do not see eye to eye with Karat on the issue it seems. You were away when he pulled the plug… Yechury:Not at all. This course was decided in the party congress. It’s a decision in unanimity… Swati: Do you approve of the way Karat runs the CPM? Yechury:Oh of course. We are not an individual’s party…we all stand together. Swati:But clearly if the UPA manages the numbers in Lok Sabha, you would have cut your nose to spite your face.. Yechury:They will not be able to have the numbers…and anyways even if they do, we are a party that has pulled out on a principle. At least some political party should be based on principles. We stand on principles alone. Swati:And what about coming together with Mayawati then? Yechury:What about her? If at all we come together it will be on the basis of some principles. Swati:What about the Speaker? Haven’t you put Somnath Chatterjee in a spot by putting his name in the list of MPs that don’t support the government? Yechury:Well there should have been an asterisk beside his name. Actually the list given to the President was downloaded from the list of MPs on Lok Sabha’s website. We should have checked it and it was a mistake as such. But Somnath Chatterjee is a party member for 39 years and has won on CPM ticket. He is a senior leader and will take the right decision at the right time. Swati:Who has really let you down in this entire episode- Sonia Gandhi or Manmohan Singh? Yechury:Its not a personal issue and does not concern any person. Swati:Will you then welcome Dr Singh as a PM again? Yechury:If he does not push the nuclear deal then why not? We are well wishers of Manmohan Singh. We had warned him in the Lok Sabha to be careful about his friendship with Bush- it has led to the downfall of Tony Blair and Shinzo Abe. Swati:You are being seen on the same side as Mayawati and Advani now… Yechury:There is no talk of alliance as such. BSP and Left might join ranks to oppose the nuclear deal. And the BJP does not seem to be knowing their mind. If they were really against the deal, they should have brought forth a No-Confidence Motion in the House against the government. But they want to show friendship towards the US as well as oppose the deal. Why doesn’t Advani – who hopes to be the PM- tell the country about the written assurance he received from Manmohan about the deal being safe and good for India? They have their own agenda… Swati:Your old pals have joined hands with the Congress. Is there any chance of Left and SP forming an alliance in the future ever? Yechury:We don’t know anything about the future. In the present, the only agenda before is to oppose the Indo-US nuclear deal and we are just focussed on it.