It146;s Left versus UPA, Cong gets allies on board

The government8217;s stand was spelt out by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee to the UPA constituents. He told them that India was getting a much better agreement than what China had reached with the US despite several years of negotiations.

Hours earlier, CPM general secretary Prakash Karat had said that the Left8217;s 8220;prime concern8221; was that the government should not proceed with negotiations on the safeguards agreement with the IAEA in September.

CPM politburo member Sitaram Yechury had called on Mukherjee to suggest the setting up of a mechanism to evaluate implications of the Hyde Act.

The Left8217;s suggestion was discussed by the Congress core group. Later, Mukherjee told UPA constituents that when India entered the WTO, there were similar concerns, even suggestions that it amounted to inviting the East India Company. The country, he said, had weathered such situations in the past.

A brief statement issued after a two-hour meeting of the UPA allies said 8220;the constituent parties of UPA have full faith and confidence in the leadership8221; of Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh. 8220;We are confident that they will be able to address all legitimate concerns, including those voiced by our Left colleagues on issues of national interest,8221; it said.

Emerging from the meeting, LJP chief Ramvilas Paswan told The Indian Express: 8220;I don8217;t know what is going to happen on the question of government8217;s survival. But all UPA partners stand by the government.8221;

Another Cabinet Minister from among the UPA constituents said that all parties in the ruling combine were party to the negotiations with the US right from the beginning and therefore, there was no question of not being with the Prime Minister at this stage. With today8217;s development, the Congress succeeded in projecting the entire tussle as the Left versus the UPA, rather than Left versus the Congress.

Meanwhile, DMK chief M Karunanidhi was said to have called up CPM general secretary Prakash Karat, urging him to cooperate with the government on the nuclear deal or it could have serious implications for DMK-Left ties in Tamil Nadu.

An indication of the government8217;s tough stance had come earlier in the day when Mukherjee said: 8220;You have to find a way out as to what is possible and what is not possible. There are different stands on operationalisation.8221;

Noting that there were several stages like the IAEA and NSG guidelines, he said unless these are done, 8220;How can you say that the deal is through?8221;

The Left parties are meeting tomorrow and it appears they will reiterate that the 8220;deal should not be operationalised8221;.

8220;We don8217;t have any formal communication, but if the UPA wants to go ahead with the deal, what8217;s the point in appointing an expert committee to look into our concerns on the Hyde Act?8221; said CPI national secretary D Raja.