The Communist Party of India-Marxist on Saturday dismissed opinion poll projections stating that the party will lose if mid-term polls are held due to a fallout about the nuclear deal with the United Progressive Alliance.
The Left Front will not "backtrack on its stand," said CPI (M) politburo member Sitaram Yechury in Shimla on Saturday.
The UPA has to decide its future course of action and it will be responsible for the consequences of going ahead with the India-United States civilian nuclear agreement by overruling the Left's objections, warned Yechury.
He said that the Left was "standing firm" on its objections and, "had told the government and prime minister in clear-cut terms to press the pause button".
Yechury disagreed with recent opinion poll findings that the Left would receive a drubbing if the country went to polls on the nuclear issue. "Time and again, such surveys have been proved wrong. They are not true indicator of things," he said.
The CP I(M) leader said that the government's attitude was positive and that the next UPA-Left Committee will move things forward. Speaking about the likely withdrawal of support if the UPA went ahead with the nuclear deal, Yechury said, "The responsibility for continuation of government rests on them. Our position is clear".
He also referred to the resignation of Britain's Tony Blair and Japan's Shizno Abe from the post of prime minister for toeing pro-US lines. "We do not want Manmohan Singh to face the same situation," said Yechury.
