The Hindu : Front Page : Manmohan, Sonia discuss outcome of UPA-Left meet

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Thursday, Jun 26, 2008
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Manmohan, Sonia discuss outcome of UPA-Left meet

Gargi Parsai

Photo: V. Sudershan

Agreeing to disagree: Congress Ministers P. Chidambaram (partly seen) and Kapil Sibal (right) with Left leaders Debabrat Biswas, Sitaram Yechury (back to camera) and Prakash Karat after the UPA-Left meeting on the nuclear deal, in New Delhi on Wednesday. —

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday night discussed the outcome of the meeting of the United Progressive Alliance-Left panel on the India-U.S. Nuclear Agreement. Unable to break the deadlock, the panel decided to come out with its findings in the next meeting which is likely to be the final one.

There was no official word on the meeting but it is learnt that the Congress president who is also the UPA chairperson would consult allies before taking a decision on going ahead with the nuclear deal. The meeting was attended by senior leaders Pranab Mukherjee and A.K. Antony who apprised the Prime Minister about the UPA-Left panel meeting. Ms. Gandhi’s political secretary Ahmad Patel was also present.

On Tuesday senior party leader Digvijay Singh had said that Ms. Gandhi and the Congress were fully behind the Prime Minister on the deal.

A senior Congress leader said there was no ambiguity in the stand of the Left parties. At the panel meet they said they would withdraw support from the government if it went ahead with finalising the India-specific Safeguards Agreement at the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The government and the Congress would have to take a political decision on whether they want to go ahead with the deal. This means that the Congress would have to decide when it is ready to face elections.

Party sources said the party and the government would have to take a call on whether its decision would help the Bharatiya Janata Party. The government has been saying that the deal was in the national interest. If it did not go ahead with it then the criticism could be that the government sacrificed national interest for staying a few more months in power.

At the same time if the government did go to the IAEA irrespective of the Left’s opposition, then there would be an outbreak of hostilities between the Congress and the Left. While the BJP would target the Congress, the Congress and the Left would target one another and the BJP would gain, the sources said.

Party leaders wanted all these aspects to be factored into any decision.

The sources said any decision would have to be taken within a month taking into account the elections in the U.S. and the price rise and flood situation in the country.

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