Decision on N-deal will be taken in unison: Cong

As Left parties stepped up their opposition to the Indo-US nuclear deal, ruling Congress on Thursday said any decision on the controversial deal will have to be taken in unison by all the UPA alliance partners.

Noting that his party's stand on the nuclear deal was "clear", AICC General Secretary Digvijay Singh said Congress feels that agreement was in the interest of the country and it could remedy the power shortage in the country.

"We should do it (clinch the deal)," Singh told reporters in New Delhi as hectic parleys began across the political spectrum on the matter.

However, the Congress leader said, "It is not a Congress government. It is an UPA government. Whatever decision we take on the nuclear deal will have to be taken by all the UPA alliance partners together."

Criticising the Left parties on their opposition to the deal, Singh said, the Congress "has not been able to understand what objections the Left have to the nuclear deal" till today despite External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee constantly keeping in touch with them on the matter.

Asked if the Left was blackmailing the government, he said, "they should understand that in today's world no one is an untouchable and we should do what is in the interest of the country.

Referring to China to support his argument, Singh reminded the Left parties that the Communist country has also signed an agreement with the US on setting up nuclear power plant.

Batting for the agreement, he said, India is going to get all nuclear technology without signing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and "without making any other compromise."

"With the nuclear deal, we will have an assured nuclear fuel supply and no one should object to this," he said.