*Peace Action has joined with 65 other organizations to fight this deal - read more.

Chennai (PTI): Terming the Indo-US nuclear deal as a "clear violation of the Common Minimum Programme" (CMP), the CPI on Friday asserted that it will "prevent the deal (from going through) at all costs."

"The US, through the 123 Agreement, tries to impose conditions derogatory to India's sovereignity and integrity. We would (therefore) prevent the deal at all costs," A B Bardhan, CPI General Secretary, told reporters here on the sidelines of the launch of the e-edition of the state unit's mouthpiece, "Janasakthi."

"It is a struggle against unilateralism.. and the US is the only country practising unilateralism and we stand for multilateralism," he said.

Evading a direct response to a query on the party's stand on a possible India-Chinese civilian nuclear-deal, he said that they were not "against nuclear energy." "We are only opposed to the 123 Agreement, which has shades of the Hyde Act, but are for nuclear energy. In fact, we do not oppose IAEA safeguards regarding nuclear energy," he said.

On their relationship with the Congress-led UPA, he said the CPI's support to the Congress would be based on that party's commitment to the CMP and recalled the CPI's critical stand against Congress on "anti-people issues such as the price rise and agrarian crisis," among others.

Responding to a query on a possible Third Front, he said it should be an alternative to the BJP and the Congress, and not a mere poll-time arrangement. "It should not be a pool of leaders, but achieved by policies and struggles," he said.

Earlier, in his address, he lauded 'Communist Journalism' and said it was a journalism that highlighted the struggles and plight of the people.