The Communist Party of India-Marxist on Sunday said it would "not compromise" on its stand opposing the Indo-US nuclear deal which, if operationalised, would affect India's independent foreign policy.

Making it clear that the Left would not budge from its firm stand, CPI-M general secretary Prakash Karat said to 'Kairali' TV channel, "We will not compromise, if they go ahead with the strategic alliance with the US. If they go ahead to fulfil their word with President Bush, for 40 years this agreement will bind India. It will affect our independent foreign policy. We cannot accept that.

The channel, in a release, quoted Karat as saying the prime minister's approach towards the deal showed "how deeply they are entrenched with US interests."

It was strange the United Progressive Alliance government was pressing for going ahead with the nuclear agreement to "fulfil a commitment" given to Bush when the country was faced with burning issues like price rise, he said, noting the deal was opposed by majority of parties and members in Parliament.

"For a government that is a coalition minority government, which is dependent on Left parties, the only correct and honest thing would have been to say that we believe that the deal is good for the country but since we cannot carry our own Parliament or the supporters of our coalition government, we are not going forward," he said.

The top CPI-M leader said the deal was "nowhere in the Common Minimum Programme," adding, the Congress leadership should realise that the era of single party rule had "long gone."