The Hindu : Front Page : Focus on nuclear deal in Parliament

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Aug 10, 2007
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Focus on nuclear deal in Parliament

Special Correspondent

Manmohan statement likely

NEW DELHI: All eyes will be on Parliament as the nuclear deal comes up in the monsoon session that begins on Friday. Day One will see obituary references and polling for the Vice-Presidential election.

On Monday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to make a statement on the nuclear issue. It will be for the presiding officers to decide under what rule a discussion will take place.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has given notice for discussion under Rule 184 — where a vote is mandatory — party leader V.K. Malhotra said. Party spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said the Prime Minister did not have the authority to bind the country to an agreement on which he did not have majority support.

Although the Congress finds itself in minority on the issue — the BJP and the Left have described the agreement as “unacceptable” and the United National Progressive Alliance parties do not support it — the Communist Party of India (Marxist) indicated that it may not force the issue through a vote.

“If the BJP presses for a discussion under Rule 184, there is no question of the Left supporting that motion. At the same time we want a discussion so that we can strongly place our point of view,” CPI (M) Parliamentary Party leader Basudev Acharya told The Hindu.

It remains to be seen how exactly the Left will proceed. CPI leader in the Rajya Sabha D. Raja said, “The 123 agreement cannot be seen in isolation from the overall strategic relationship between India and the United States that it seeks to strengthen. The Left is clearly opposed to such a strategic partnership. The Government cannot take the Left on board.”

What is clear is that the Government will have to do a lot of backroom work and marshal all its forces to safely steer through the rough weather it can expect to meet in Parliament. Speaker Somnath Chatterjee met all party leaders on Thursday evening followed by a dinner hosted by him. The next day he will meet the National Democratic Alliance leaders over dinner. It will be followed by a similar meeting and dinner with the Congress leaders. On Sunday, he will meet leaders of parties of the United Progressive Alliance, the Left, the Bahujan Samaj Party and others. The NDA and the Left will have their separate strategy sessions on Friday.

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