The Indian Left parties Sunday urged the central government against a pro-US stand on voting on the Iran nuclear issue at the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) meeting on Nov. 24, Indo-Asian News Service reported.

Leaders of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Forward Bloc, the Samajwadi Party and the JD-S demanded at a meeting in Hyderabad, capital of south India's Andra Pradesh, that the government should take a clear stand on the issue.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh still did not release the government's stand on the issue, said CPI-M general secretary Prakash Karat.

"Manmohan Singh is saying India will take a decision only after going through the IAEA resolution. The Left and the secular parties have no objection over seeing the resolution but they must say either "yes" or "no" on whether the Indian government is in favor of referring the Iran nuclear issue to the UN Security Council," he said.

"If the central government decides to vote against Iran, it should be viewed seriously as the focus should be on Indian interests without succumbing to outside pressures," he said.

The Left parties would not topple the government but must intensify the pressure by building public opinion for an independent foreign policy, he said.

"India, which imports 70 percent of its oil, should maintain good relations with Iran and be alert to the designs of imperialists," Karat said.

The Congress Party and Left parties have formed the United Progress Alliance to rule the country after the 2004 election.

The Indian government had tried to send troops to Iraq to join US-led forces but were held back by a public outcry in 2003.

Source: Xinhua