Staging a walk-out after External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s response to the debate on the deal in the Rajya Sabha, CPM leader Sitaram Yechury said: “I am not fully convinced. My opposition to the deal continues. Majority of the House does not agree with the deal.”

Members of the Left parties trooped out of the House with their BJP and Third Front counterparts.

Even though Mukherjee assured the members that the government would take sense of Parliament on the deal after finalising the agreement but before signing it, the Opposition was “not convinced”.

Leader of the Opposition Jaswant Singh questioned the “hurry” with which the government is proceeding to implement the deal.

“Wait a bit. Carry the people and Parliament with you. It is clear from the debate that a large part of the House is not with you,” he said.

Before staging the walk-out, Mr Yechury cited the rejection of CTBT by the US Congress and then President Bill Clinton explaining it to the world that it was because of democracy.

“A majority of the House does not agree. We are a democratic people and we should go by democracy,” he said, adding that the government would respect the mandate of the House.

Talking to reporters outside Parliament, the CPM politburo member said now that the sense of the House was clear the UPA government should not go ahead with the deal.

When asked about the green signal given by the Left members of the joint committee on the nuclear deal to go ahead with talks with the IAEA, Yechury said it had been given with a rider that the government should come back and report to the joint committee before proceeding further on the issue.

In an article published in CPM mouthpiece People’s Democracy, party general secretary Prakash Karat maintained that it was imperative upon the government to take into account the “clear verdict” of Parliament on the 123 Agreement.

He said while the debate in the Lok Sabha had established that “a big majority” was against the deal, the discussion in the Upper House had made the “isolation” of the UPA government all the more evident by completely demolishing all government arguments.

SENSE OF THE HOUSE
New Delhi, DHNS: External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has appealed for allowing the government complete the processes needed for the Indo-US nuclear deal because the “sense of the House” can be considered at the last stage when the final agreement will be ready.

If the US Congress does not approve the final draft where then would be the need for the “sense of the House”, Mr Mukherjee said on Wednesday during a debate on the nuclear deal. He asked the Opposition to permit the government to finish the process which includes India-specific safeguard agreement with the IAEA, obtaining the clearance of NSG and the final approval from US Congress. Mukherjee also said that many of the past policies of the Congress that were opposed tooth and nail initially have been proven correct later.