ElBaradei is an honoured guest, says Manmohan

Asked about general apprehension that mid-term polls were inevitable, the PM said, “Nothing is inevitable.” “As long as there is dialogue, there is hope. We hope for the best,” he said. He, however, refused to comment on whether he felt the Left would pull the rug under Government’s feet. “I am not an astrologer,” he told reporters.

The PM refused to comment about External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s remarks at the UPA-Left committee’s meeting on Friday that the Government cannot delay negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regarding India-specific safeguards.

As for IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei’s visit to India next week, the PM said that he is an honoured guest on a “goodwill visit”. “He will be meeting me. We are looking forward to welcoming him.”

Congress President Sonia Gandhi expressed the party’s readiness to go for elections. Asked if she was concerned about mid-term polls, Sonia said, “What concerns? If there is election, we will face it.”

While the PM and the Congress President were reluctant to field queries about the future of the nuclear deal, Yechury looked eager to put across the party’s point of view.

“They (government) had said earlier that if IAEA talks were not held in September, the deal would fall through. You can see it didn’t happen. Now they are saying if we do not talk in November, the deal will fall through. We do not agree to it,” Yechury said. He, however, skirted queries about the Left’s future course of action in the event of the Government going ahead with IAEA negotiations.

Yechury left after a brief chat with Sonia Gandhi about her recent visit to New York. The senior Left leader who was offered a chair to sit beside Sonia and the PM excused himself and left the scene

Meanwhile, Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav changed his opinion about the possibility of mid-term polls within hours. “Door door tak koi sambhavna nahin hai,” Yadav had said after flagging off Indian Railway’s special Buddhist Circuit train on Saturday. The UPA Government would last its full term, he had claimed. But, a few hours later at the PM’s iftaar, Yadav was circumspect: “Let’s see. But if there are mid-term polls, it will be unfortunate for the country.”