The Hindu : National : Sonia: time to look ahead

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jul 12, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

National

National

Sonia: time to look ahead

Gargi Parsai

Acknowledges Left’s support thus far

NEW DELHI: The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and the Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Friday endorsed the government’s decision to seek a trust vote in Parliament following the withdrawal of support by the Left Parties on the issue of India-United States nuclear agreement.

Chairing the meetings, UPA chairperson and Congress president Sonia Gandhi asserted that the Congress-led alliance would prove its majority.

This was later endorsed by Railway Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal president Lalu Prasad.

He claimed that the government would touch a figure of “290” [of a total strength of 543 members] in the floor test in the Lok Sabha.

Ms. Gandhi while regretting the Left parties’ withdrawal of support, placed on record her appreciation for their support in the last four years.

“Without their support, the UPA could not have been formed and a good deal of what we have achieved would not have been possible,” she said.

“Thanking” the Left, Ms. Gandhi said, “Unfortunately we could not carry them with us on the nuclear agreement despite our best efforts. While we regret their withdrawal of support, it is now time to look ahead.”

Welcoming the support offered by the Samajwadi Party, Ms. Gandhi said the UPA was committed to the pledge made by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh “that he would not operationalise the agreement without taking Parliament into confidence.

“In keeping with the highest traditions of democracy and our Constitution, when the Prime Minister met the President [Pratibha Patil] on Thursday, he himself handed over a letter stating that the UPA government wishes to seek a trust vote as early as possible,” she said.

At both meetings, the Prime Minister and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee apprised the members of the “steps taken on the nuclear pact” before and after the Left pulled out.

At the UPA meeting, Mr. Prasad, Sharad Pawar of the Nationalist Congress Party and Mehbooba Mufti of the People’s Democratic Party also participated in the deliberations.

Briefing journalists, Mr. Mukherjee said the meeting was attended by all UPA constituents, except Lok Jan Shakti Party’s Ram Vilas Paswan, who is abroad, and Asauddin Owaisi of the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimmen, who had to attend a wedding in the family. Senior Congress leader Arjun Singh could not attend as he is out of Delhi. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha was represented by Hemlal Murmu.

No bitterness: Pranab

Mr. Mukherjee, who was the convener of the UPA-Left committee on the nuclear panel, said: “The parting of company with the Left was sad but sometimes in politics it happens. There is no bitterness.”

Mr. Prasad said all UPA partners and individuals were united. “We will win by a thumping majority. If we lose, the deal would be gone. If we win, the deal would be on. Even the Bhartiya Janata Party is saying it is not against the deal. The people of the country have already endorsed it.”

Congress leaders M. Veerappa Moily and Janardhan Dwivedi said the entire CWC was united on the deal and there were no differences.

Party general secretary Rahul Gandhi made the point that the party should speak on the deal with “self-confidence.”

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

National