The Hindu : National : Left parties to meet on Tuesday

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jul 08, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

National

National

Left parties to meet on Tuesday

Special Correspondent

New Delhi: The Left parties are meeting here on Tuesday to decide on their future course of action. “We have received the letter [from External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee]. We will meet on Tuesday to decide on the future course of action,” Communist Party of India (Marxist) Prakash Karat said here on Monday.

Leaders of the other Left parties also confirmed having received Mr. Mukherjee’s letter.

CPI national secretary D. Raja said External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s proposal that a “draft report” of the UPA-Left committee on the nuclear deal was ready and it could be considered at a meeting of the panel on July 10 and the Prime Minister’s statement from Japan that the government would move the International Atomic Energy Agency “very soon” to seal the safeguards agreement were contradictory.

“Ridiculous position”

Mr. Raja said:

“The Prime Minister has put Mr. Mukherjee and the UPA-Left panel in a ridiculous position.

“The UPA-Left meeting has become meaningless now. Mr. Mukherjee should explain why he invited the Left parties for the meeting to finalise the committee’s findings, if the government has already decided to move the IAEA. The Prime Minister should have shown some respect for the committee.”

After such a categorical statement by the Prime Minister there was “no use” of meeting again and there was “nothing left” for Mr. Mukherjee to accomplish, he said.

Both RSP general secretary T.J. Chandrachoodan and Mr. Raja said the letter was “non-committal” and it would be discussed on Tuesday.

Forward Bloc general secretary Debabrata Biswas told The Hindu from Kolkata that the Left parties were “unanimous” in withdrawing support to the UPA government. Mr. Biswas said his party was of the view that the Left parties should withdraw support by July 10. “Our party is not in favour of holding yet another meeting of the UPA-Left committee,” he added.

Pranab’s letter

In a letter to the Left parties, Mr. Mukherjee, who is also the convener of the UPA-Left Committee, said: “As decided in our discussion in the 9th meeting of the committee, we are now ready with a draft report for the consideration of the committee.”

“A meeting to consider the draft is being scheduled for 1600 hours on July 10, 2008. Early submission of the report by the committee will enable the UPA government to take into account the committee’s findings,” Mr. Mukherjee said in his reply.

He also enclosed a brief press release that was issued after the ninth meeting of the Committee on June 25.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National

News Update

Stories in this Section