N-deal: Cong readies for final showdown

With the Left making noises about reviewing support to the UPA Government regardless of the Indo-US nuclear deal...

With the Left making noises about reviewing support to the UPA Government regardless of the Indo-US nuclear deal, there is growing restlessness in the ruling Congress camp about the need to take a final call on the deal.

Many top Congress leaders are of the view that since abandoning the deal is no guarantee for the Left8217;s support till the end of the Government8217;s tenure, it should think of going ahead with the deal that could be showcased as a UPA achievement in securing energy security for the country and providing power to farmers.

There are also indications that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh desires to express himself on the deal and to this end a high-level meeting of officials involved in negotiations could be held shortly. Indian Ambassador to the US Ronen Sen who was here recently was also learnt to have conveyed to the Government the urgency to take a final decision on the deal.

8220;A meeting may be convened to take a look at the available timeline for the deal so that if the Government, at some stage, has to bite the bullet, it should have a plan ready,8221; said a ruling party source. The UPA-Left committee on the nuclear deal is likely to meet on June 11.

The CPI, RSP and Forward Bloc have already gone public with their intention to review support to the Government. Following the Congress8217;s debacle in Karnataka, the CPIM has also taken a tough line, saying that the results reflect the UPA Government8217;s performance. The four Left parties are likely to meet shortly to discuss this issue.

There is some thinking in the Left camp that it should not share the UPA8217;s anti-incumbency by supporting the Government through its entire tenure.

Besides, as the Congress remains its main rival in its strongholds of West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura, the Left is wary of adding on to the anti-incumbency factor in these areas by sticking on to the UPA.

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8220;The worst case scenario would be that we abandon the deal and then the Left withdraws support at some point of time. By going ahead with the deal, we will have at least something to talk about,8221; said a senior Congress leader.