Ahead of the crucial meeting to resolve differences on the Indo-US nuclear deal, the Left parties on Wednesday rejected government's response to their objections on the accord, saying they were not convinced with even a "single contention of the government" on the issue.
"We are not convinced with even a single contention of the government. It is a lawyers' contention," Communist Party of India leader A B Bardhan told reporters after an over 90-minute meeting with Left leaders.
He was replying to a question on whether the Left leaders agreed with government's contention on the 123 agreement.
"We have rebuffed, refuted whatever the government has said," Bardhan observed.
"Today, we have prepared a sort of reply to their (government) reply and we will discuss it on that basis," the CPI leader said.
On the remarks made by Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Anil Kakodkar at Vienna, Bardhan said, "Kakodkar has given a speech in a conference. He has not been discussing India-specific safeguards."
He said the Left parties were wanting more time so that the issue could be discussed in Parliament.
CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury, however, refused to take any questions on the meeting.
Revolutionary Socialist Party leader T C Chandrachoodan said the Left parties were not convinced by the reply sent by the government.
"We are unable to understand certain things. On certain issues raised by us, we have no reply. We need a clarification," he said.
Asked for his comment on US Ambassador David Mulford's statement that time was running out for India on the deal, Bardhan earlier said, "They (US) are pressurising us. You know it very well. They have set a timetable and they want India to work under the timetable."
RSP leader Abani Roy said the, "US is in a hurry. Let our government decide. Left has always been saying that government should not go ahead without proper consultation."
CPI-M general secretary Prakash Karat was present at the meeting.
Earlier, CPI's D Raja said it would be a "breach of trust" if the government went ahead with negotiations on the India-specific safeguards agreement at the ongoing International Atomic Energy Aagency meet in Vienna.
The United Progressive Alliance-Left committee was formed to go into the Left's concerns on the nuclear deal and the government had agreed that it would not operationalise the deal till the panel came out with its findings, he said.
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