Wednesday, July 20 2005 09:55 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Political parties yesterday (July 19, 2005) withheld their reaction to United States (US) decision to lift sanctions on supply of nuclear fuel, apparently wanting to study the details of the Indo-US joint statement and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's discussions.

The Left parties, which had asked the Government not to succumb to American pressure before Singh embarked on the three-day visit, yesterday (July 19, 2005) reserved their comments on the joint statement issued after his discussions with President George Bush.

Sources in the Communist Party of India (CPI) and Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) said they would comment only after studying the details of the statement as well as other agreements signed in Washington.

Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the ruling Congress also did not react to the developments.

The Left parties, who had meetings with the Prime Minister before his departure for the US, had demanded that India should assert its independent foreign policy.

Singh had reacted to the Left parties' statements saying he would safeguard national interests "till the end of my life. Can you imagine that any Prime Minister will consciously or unconsciously sell India cheap? Nobody can sell India. India is not on sale. Nobody has to teach us lessons on patriotism."