The Left Front on Sunday took strong exception to United Progressive Chairperson Sonia Gandhi's comments against those opposing the India-United States civilian nuclear agreement and alleged that the Congress was forcing elections on the country. "The Congress is going to an election mode. It is the Congress which will be responsible if the governments falls and an election is imposed on the country," Communist Party of India leader A B Bardhan said.
The Communist Party of India-Marxist on Wednesday accused the UPA government of accepting the "diktats" of the Bush administration of which the nuclear agreement "was a part."
Putting forward its point of view in the key matter, the Congress has also denied that the 123 agreement will in any way hamper India's right to conduct nuclear tests.
The Congress-led government was caught napping over the Left Front's opposition to the India-United States nuclear agreement, feels B J Panda, a member of the Rajya Sabha.
"The protest by the Left is a reflection of their ideology. It is inappropriate," Nath said in Chhindwara, his Lok Sabha constituency.
The note covers various aspects of the issue, including the Left's fear that the deal will not cover the entire nuclear fuel cycle and deny access to specific technologies.
A book comprising a collection of articles penned by Communist Party of India-Marxist's General Secretary Prakash Karat trashes the deal.
West Bengal Fisheries Minister Kironmoy Nanda who belongs to the Socialist Party said that the project would cause damage to fisheries spread across 250 hectare there being run by fishermen cooperatives.
Minister of Science and Technology Kapil Sibal also made it clear that the 123 Agreement to operationalise the deal cannot be renegotiated.
Experts, scientists and economists could be invited to gather their views on the nuclear deal, CPI National Secretary D Raja said in Puducherry on Monday.
CPM general-secretary Prakash Karat had said that the government would have to face serious consequences if it went ahead with the nuclear deal.
For the 2019 polls, the BJP chief deployed over 7,000 leaders to oversee the work of polling committees on the over 400 seats the BJP contested. These committees were asked to focus on 120 seats the party had lost in 2014, but believed it could win in 2019.
The policies that kept the Left Front in power for 30 years are proving major obstacles in the state's bid to industrialise.
The Left Front had a choice in September 2007, either to push for an immediate general election or to permit the United Progressive Alliance to complete its full term without making a fuss. In trying to be too clever by half the Left Front must now both swallow the chillies of humiliation at being outwitted and accept the lash of public anger in an election.
"We are seriously discussing that it may not be possible to continue any longer in the Cabinet because of unprecedented police brutalities in Nandigram," senior RSP leader and party member of Parliament Monoj Bhattacherjee told PTI.
The police used lathis and fired teargas shells, one of which landed on the bonnet of the car of TC chief who was inside the hospital then.
Bharatiya Janata Party workers on Sunday staged a demonstration outside the Communist Party of India-Marxist headquarters in New Delhi
Banerjee said she was doing so after consulting leaders of major opposition parties and following 'a favourable court order'.
The Left Front on Saturday asked the Centre to officially declare that the India-United States nuclear agreement is 'off' when the UPA-Left committee meets on Monday. Making it clear that they are not going to wait indefinitely, the Left parties said a clear-cut response from the government was essential to "end the controversy on the agreement." what we expect is that they should clearly say that the deal is off or that it has been put on hold," said CPI leader A B Bardhan.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Friday clearly stated that she was against early elections and ruled out any confrontation with the Left Front over the India-United States nuclear agreement. "No, we are not in favour of early elections. As the prime minister has said, the deadline is 2009. We are going to do all that we can to see that we implement our programmes till 2009," she said. Gandhi said that the govt will be working towards reaching a consensus with the Left.
Claiming that Congress was in "coma" and Bharatiya Janata Party would be unable to form the government after Lok Sabha elections, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said it was time for "like-minded forces" to capture power at the Centre.
The conduct of puniyaham (purification) after the visit of Union Minister Vayalar Ravi's son Ravikrishna on the ground that his mother hailed from a Christian family has triggered a statewide debate on entry of non-Hindus into the temple.
Seeking to expedite the process, the front had also empowered all partners to initiate peace parleys on their own and talk to the Opposition.
CPM leader Sitaram Yechury disagreed with recent opinion poll findings that the Left would receive a drubbing if the country went to polls on the nuclear issue.
The Left will give the government its time frame after meeting with the United Progressive Alliance on September 19.
An important political milestone during the year was the return of the Left Front to power with an over two-thirds majority.
After two adjournments on Tuesday, Shekawat tried to break the impasse by counselling members that they should uphold the tradition of allowing the Leader of the Opposition to make his submission.
"If they have a hidden agenda, the people of this country must know," Sibal said in Kolkata on Saturday.
The Congress on Friday suspended two of its legislators for voting for the Trinamool Congress in the Rajya Sabha biennial election for five seats in West Bengal.
Governor Tathagata Roy also administered the oath of office to BJP leader Jishnu Deb Burman as the deputy chief minister along with seven other ministers, including Indigenous People's Front of Tripura chief N C Debbarma.
The roll out of Reliance Retail's fresh food format stores has hit a wall in West Bengal, where a key constituent of the state government is against big businesses entering agriculture and allied fields.
As the prime minister prepares to make a speech about the deal in the Parliament on Monday, what do you think the Left should do?
According to a source, the chief minister told the meeting that compensation, which is a major demand by allies and opposition parties, could be given after following due procedure.
Former minister Shahnawaz Hussain won in Bhagalpur.
Repeated requests by Deputy Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal failed to restore normalcy forcing him to adjourn the House.
There was speculation that India might sign a civil nuclear pact with Russia in its attempt to garner support in the Nuclear Suppliers Group, of which Russia is an important member.
Has the UPA decided that, Hyde Act or not, there's no risk at all of a US ban on our further nuclear testing because we are not going to do another test?
'The BJP will take time to come to power in Andhra.'
The Left Front government led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in West Bengal got tributes from the US-India Business Council.
"I don't rule out the possibility of finding a consensus. It depends upon what steps the government takes. After all, it is not a one-issue or a one-party government but a coalition," said CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan. Bardhan accused the United States of rushing its high officials and diplomats to India to "pressurise the government and the BJP" to go ahead with the deal. "Some times there are allurements, sometime threats and sometime blackmail," Bardhan said
