Voting against Govt won't be voting with BJP: Yechury

FLOOR PLAN: CPI-M politburo leader Yechury says Left would vote against Government.

        

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Sitaram Yechury: It's not a question of trust. The moment you get the into international community and get all the countries on line with you and then you come back here and say that I'm not going to proceed ahead that would put India in a greater position of shame.

Karan Thapar: On the contrary, it would have put Indian in a commanding position, because after the NSG clearance India would have been in a position to carry our civil nuclear relations with Russia and France which would be entirely to our benefit. The one country that you are not interested in doing relations would have been America, you would have gained, the country would have gained and there would have been no problems with the UPA.

Sitaram Yechury: You think America would have allowed you to get this through in the NSG when you say that you go with France and Russia and not with USA. Which world are you living in, Mr Thapar? NSG functions on the basis of consensus and USA is part of NSG. When you are going to say that I won’t trade with you but I'm going to trade with France and Russia, you think USA is going to agree.

Karan Thapar: America would have hoped that the vote in Parliament after the NSG would have been in favour of signing the 123. But even if the vote would have gone against signing the 123 something that would have benefited India is that once you've opened the doors to Russia and France, the new administration in America, even if it’s a Democrat, would have been forced to allow the same terms to go through because otherwise America would be the loser. In every way you would have gained.

Sitaram Yechury: Your basis is untenable. America would not allow you to go through with any other country if they were not in control.

Karan Thapar: The truth of the matter is that what I'm suggesting was recommended to the Government by the American side as one way of ensuring that the deal was in such a position that if it didn't pass under Bush it would pass under the new administration. You know that and I know that. And you know something else that when this was put to Prakash Karat in June he first indicated to the Government that he was willing to go along but 24 hours later inexplicably he changed his mind and became rigid, so this was something that was teetered on the brink of almost accepting.

Sitaram Yechury: I don't think it was put to our General Secretary.

Karan Thapar: Government sources say so.

Sitaram Yechury: Well, I don't know which sources are these because anything that was put we presume had come to us before.

Karan Thapar: The truth is that on in fact two occasions government sources say that suggestions were made to Prakash Karat which he initially found reasonable and was prepared to go with, then inexplicably 24 hours later he changed his mind and they say that the Left in the shape of the CPM has been flip flopping.

Sitaram Yechury: No, every decision that we have taken have been of our Politburo and our central community and all these decisions that we have taken we have stuck to them. We have been absolutely reasonable and completely transparent. So I have no idea about these proposals that were given because none of that has come before us.

Karan Thapar: You say that you have been completely reasonable and transparent let me put this to you, now that you have withdrawn support, publicly Prakash Karat has said that he would do everything in his power to ensure that the Indo-US Nuclear deal doesn't go through. What is he envisaging now?