The Left Front will not disturb the spirit of the festival season unless the Congress does so, Communist Party of India General Secretary A B Bardhan said in New Delhi on Monday.
He admitted that the Left was taken aback by the sharp attack on them by United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi at a public rally in Jhajhar on Sunday.
"Later, Congress leader Ahmed Patel told the Left front that the comments were directed against the Bharatiya Janata Party. We are meeting External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday morning and the next meeting has been fixed on October 15, after the Id celebrations. Then we will have Dusshera, Diwali, Durga pooja and other festivals to follow," he said in a lighter tone.
However, Bardhan warned that if government officials held talks with visiting International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed El-Baradei about the nuclear agreement, the Left Front would withdraw its support to the government.
"Let the IAEA chief meet Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and other political dignitaries. But if the government officials hold talks with El-Baradei about the safeguards of the 123 agreement, we will pull the rug from the government," he threatened.
"The Left parties categorically reiterate that the nuclear deal with the United States is against the interests of India. Those who advocate the deal should know that India is capable of developing nuclear energy primarily on a self-reliant basis. We need not surrender our vital interests to America on this plea," stated a joint communiqué issued by the four left parties in response to Gandhi's statement.
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