'India's standing to go down if N-deal not signed'

MUMBAI: Eminent economist Lord Meghnad Desai on Wednesday came out strongly against moves to stall the Indo-US nuclear deal and claimed that if the deal did not go through, it would be a severe blow to India's international standing.

It would be a great loss to India's international standing as the nuclear deal appears to have been given a silent burial, Lord Desai told reporters on the sidelines of a conference here. Besides, it would take a lot of time to repair the damage, he said.

Terming as "disgraceful", pressure tactics by the Left, Lord Desai said that it was tragic that the UPA Government was losing its nerve (on the nuclear deal).

"The Left has no qualms about having the treaty with a foreign power if it is China but if it is America, it tries to find all the loopholes in the deal," Desai said.

He was also critical of the anti-north Indian campaign spearheaded by the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, a splinter group of the Shiv Sena.

"You cannot have more partition (of the country)... big political parties have a responsibility to resist such things," he said.

Lord Desai said that he was also amused over the hue and cry on US President George Bush remarks that food prices in the world were rising due to improving living standards in India and China, spurring demand.

"This shows the defeatist attitude of the Indians," he said.