Karat disowns remarks on N-deal
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 15
CPM leader Prakash Karat today disowned hawkish remarks attributed to him on the Indo-US nuclear deal and said such reports were calculated to create an atmosphere of insecurity about the central government.

The CPM office today issued a strong and categoric denial of Karat’s alleged remark wherein India Today quoted him as saying “If this is the issue (the nuclear deal) they want to break up with us on, all political parties need to be prepared for elections any time”. The CPM general secretary even went to the extent of saying that it was “unfortunate that India Today had resorted to such dubious journalism.”

Karat denied that he had made these remarks in the first place. “I had given written answers to the questions put by India Today, the transcript of which is available. Neither was the question ‘And if they do proceed (with the nuclear deal)? Are you prepared for elections?’ put to me nor have I replied in such a manner.”

Karat even sought to link it to the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh assembly elections. “Such reports surfacing in sections of the media in recent days are calculated to create an atmosphere of insecurity about the central government. It is also a deliberate attempt to impair relations between the Left and the UPA. It is significant that such reports are appearing on the eve of the polling for the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh assembly elections,” the CPM statement quoted Karat as saying.