Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will give a suo mottu statement on the draft Indo-US civilian nuclear deal in the Lok Sabha on Monday afternoon. A discussion on this issue will follow shortly after the PM’s statement.This emerged at an all-party meeting with Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee on Thursday evening. The Opposition BJP insisted that it would prefer a discussion on the nuclear deal under Rule 184 that entails voting to the PM’s suo moto statement. BJP’s Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha VK Malhotra raised the issue during the all-party meeting. Chatterjee, however, said he would study the BJP’s demand and “see if it is permissible under the rules”. According to sources, the BJP has given notice for discussion on this issue under both Rule 184 and Rule 193. The CPI(M) has also given notice for discussion on the same issue under Rule 193, which does not involve voting. The PM did not attend the all-party meeting, but he joined them for a dinner hosted by the Speaker.Meanwhile, both the Left and the Third Front parties today indicated their willingness to raise the issue of non-implementation of Justice Srikrishna Commission report on 1993 Mumbai riots. AICC general secretary Margaret Alva said she had gone through the Action Taken Report of Maharashtra Government and she was “satisfied”. The Government is ready to take action against those indicted by the Commission, if the court tells it to do so. According to BJP’s V K Malhotra, the Opposition would like the discuss issues related to Goa developments, Special Economic Zones, plight of farmers, and threats to migrant labourers in Kashmir, among others. While discussions on the nuclear deal remain on top of the Left’s agenda, the UPA allies have identified many other issues for discussion, including price rise, amendments in SEZ Act and Rules and agrarian crisis.
