A 'wise' decision can avoid mid-term polls: Left

A 'wise' decision by Congress leadership not to discuss the Indo-US nuclear deal with the International Atomic Energy Agency till the UPA-Left committee comes out with its findings will avoid mid-term polls, a Left leader said on Wednesday.

"We are against the agreement, opposed to talks or discussions with IAEA. Political decisions we have taken is that if you go ahead, we have to withdraw," Revolutionary Socialist Party Secretary Abani Roy told PTI in New Delhi.

Noting that political parties of all hue do not want elections at this moment, he said to avoid the elections, it would be 'wise' for the Congress not to discuss the matter with the IAEA and not to go ahead with the agreement.

"We are men of words and there is no need to explain anything further," he said, adding that it was time the Congress leadership took a political decision of postponing the matter.

He suggested that it will not be proper to go ahead with any discussion with the IAEA till the joint mechanism completes its task and comes out with its findings.

Roy's warning to the Congress has come at a time when several non-Congress parties in the UPA are reportedly pressing for a go-slow on the issue of the deal to avoid snap polls.

On Tuesday, the crisis facing the government following the rift with the Left over the nuclear deal eased for the time being in an apparent ceasefire after the two sides agreed to hold more talks to break the impasse on October 22.

Congress pursuing 'hidden agenda':

The Communist Party of India on Wednesday alleged that the Congress was pursuing a 'hidden agenda' for its vested interests on the pretext of the Indo-US nuclear agreement.

"The Congress is bent upon going ahead with the agreement for the sake of its vested interests on similar lines wherein the BJP, then heading the NDA government, had abandoned its Hindutva agenda for remaining in power," prominent CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta told media persons in Bhopal.

"The nuclear deal purportedly aimed at solving energy requirement was uneconomical," the All India Trade Union Congress general secretary said.

"India is bestowed with abundant resources to meet its energy demand and there is no need to seek American shelter. It is not justified as the common man will have to pay higher interest for the heavy investment in the energy sector," said Dasgupta, who arrived to lead a rally of unorganised labourers.