Friday, August 11 2006 19:16 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kolkata: The Centre was buckling under US pressure on the nuclear deal as the Congress-led UPA Government has become 'weak', veteran CPI(M) Politburo member Jyoti Basu said today (Aug 11, 2006).

"Weak! weak!" the Marxist leader quipped in reply to a question whether he thought that UPA government's handling of the nuclear deal showed that Government has become weak.

Basu's comments came as Left parties recently warned the UPA Government of an imminent confrontation if it failed to address their concerns on the Indo-US nuclear deal.

He, however, refused to buy the argument that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was 'weak' as alleged by suspended Congress leader and former external affairs minister Natwar Singh.

Asked whether he considered Manmohan Singh to be weak, he said, "How can I say that? Can there be such a comparison? As far made by the UPA Government from the CMP. The CPI(M) Politburo and the co-ordination committee of the Left parties are concerned at the violations," he said.

Basu was speaking to reporters after the party's state secretariat meeting here.