We will vote against confidence motion: Karat

New Delhi, Jul 5 (PTI) - Virtually reaching a point of
no return on the nuclear deal, the C.P.I.(M) has said the Left
parties would vote against the U.P.A. Government in Parliament
in case of a confidence motion on the agreement.

"If there is a vote of confidence in Parliament on the
issue, the Left will vote against the Government. But we will
do so only after the Government formally conveys its decision
to proceed with the deal," C.P.I.(M) General Secretary Prakash
Karat said.

Karat said the Left would also launch a countrywide
campaign against the party asking people to defeat the
Congress in the next elections for compromising with national
integrity and livelihoods of people. "We will link this to
inflation and rising prices."

The top C.P.I.(M) leader said his party never expected
to break with the U.P.A. on a foreign policy issue. "We had
not thought the break would come on a foreign policy issue and
American imperialism at that...

"We thought it would be on domestic policy. But since
July 2005, when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh went to
Washington, it (nuclear deal) has been running thread of the
conflict. Two years ago, we knew this was an issue on which we
would not compromise," Karat said.

When asked whether the Left now stand politically
isolated with the Samajwadi Party moving closer to Congress,
he said they had not expected Mulayam Singh Yadav to cross
over, noting that the U.N.P.A. will now disintegrate.

"We don't like to lose allies, but we cannnot be
opportunistic on policy issues," he said.

"...We were never part of the U.N.P.A. We merely
cooperated with it on issues. With S.P. taking the position it
has, the U.N.P.A. will now disintegrate," Karat said.

The C.P.I.(M) leader noted that a third alternative can
only emerge through agreement on a common policy framework and
not through electoral compulsions or exigencies. PTI