C.P.I.(M) says F.M's. statement misleading

New Delhi, Jul 23 (PTI) C.P.I.(M) Tuesday termed Finance Minister P. Chidambaram drawing India parallel with China as "misleading", saying both the countries cannot be compared as Beijing was being treated as a nuclear weaponstate.

"Drawing parallel with India and China is misleading as China is treated as a nuclear weapon state while India is not," C.P.I.(M) politburo member Sitaram Yechury toldreporters here.

He said the draft safeguards agreement for the nuclear deal circulated in the I.A.E.A. treats India as a non-nuclear weapon state and "there is a whole world of differencesbetween the two.

"Therefore, it is misleading to compare India with China....we have always noted that the deal comes with strings which will only emasculate India's sovereignty. That is why weare opposing the deal," he said.

During the debate on confidence motion in Lok Sabha, Chidambaram said "some people" do not want India to catch upwith China.

"There are some people in the country who do not want India to catch up with China...They do not want India to be ahead of China," Chidambaram said. PTI SJY