The Shiv Sena on Wednesday hit out at the Left parties for its opposition to the India-United States nuclear agreement.

"There is no doubt that the Indo-US deal will be in the interest of India. This is a fact which everyone knows except the Left parties," an editorial in the party mouthpiece Saamana said.

Dubbing the Leftists as 'red monkeys', Saamana said they are taking a hardline stand against the Indo-US deal only to keep China in good humour, even at the cost of India's development.

The editorial said the Left parties go out of their way to please China.

"The pain of Left parties stems from their excessive love for China, which makes them oppose any move which will strengthen India by improving ties with the US," the editorial said.

As the United Progressive Alliance government is dependent on the support of the Left parties for its survival, the Left parties are doing everything to toe the Chinese line, it alleged.

Speculation is rife over the past two months about the possibility of the government collapsing, following the stand-off between the Left and the UPA government on the Indo-US nuclear deal.

However, neither the government would collapse nor will the deal take shape, the editorial predicted. The editorial gave its go-ahead to the Indo-US deal but cautioned that it should not result in India becoming a slave.