Face a free hit if you overstep at IAEA: CPM

NEW DELHI: On the eve of New Delhi’s negotiations with the IAEA, the CPM has warned the government that it will have to pay a “heavy political price” if it overstepped the mandate of working out a draft safeguards agreement.

CPM politburo member Sitaram Yechury said the agreement with the government was only for drafting a safeguards agreement. He said the Left gave its consent for approaching the IAEA after the government side promised to report back to the UPA-Left committee on the text of the agreement. “The moment they defy, betray this understanding, remember they will have to pay the political price,” Mr Yechury told a private TV channel.

The CPM leader also indicated that the Left would be in no hurry to complete the examination of the text. “By that time, the government will be off. Elections will be there,” he said. The government has a early January deadline in mind for clearing the two hurdles — IAEA and NSG waiver — before taking the deal to the US Congress.

Mr Yechury said the Left was determined to stall the deal. “If the government’s interest is not in seeing themselves in, if that is the case then the government should necessarily go. If deal is more important than being in government, let it go,” he said.

Mr Yechury said the Left was persuading the government not to go ahead with the deal which was ot in the interest of the country. “We raised our objections and government requested that they be allowed to raise the matter with IAEA and check whether we will be able to get it. Therefore, we gave the go-ahead but said before inking the deal, come back to us,” the CPM leader said.