On bumpy nuclear-deal road, UPA switches on Left indicator

Ahead of a Left-UPA meeting on the nuclear deal that coincides with sessions of the IAEA Board of Governors and the Nuclear Suppliers Group...

Ahead of a Left-UPA meeting on the nuclear deal that coincides with sessions of the IAEA Board of Governors and the Nuclear Suppliers Group, the Government is clearly trying to signal to its Left allies that it has not, as they have accused, bartered away its 8220;independent foreign policy.8221;

That signal is not-so subtly couched in a series of carefully chosen steps which today included an unusually strong rebuff to Washington for commenting on the April 29 visit of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. And the cancellation of a joint media interaction on Konkan 2008, the Indo-UK joint naval exercise that gets underway the same day Ahmadinejad is in India. Significantly, USS Cole is in Indian waters as an observer.

8220;India and Iran are ancient civilizations whose relations span centuries. Both nations are perfectly capable of managing all aspects of their relationship with the appropriate degree of care and attention8230;Neither country needs any guidance on the future conduct of bilateral relations as both countries believe that engagement and dialogue alone lead to peace,8221; said the MEA spokesperson in response to queries on remarks made in Washington last evening.

During the daily press interaction, US Department of State spokesperson, asked about Ahmadinejad8217;s visit to India, said: 8220;We would hope that the Indian Government or any government that was engaging with the Iranians, including with President Ahmadinejad, would call on him to meet the requirements that the Security Council and the international community has placed on him in terms of suspending their uranium enrichment activities and complying with the other requirements regarding their nuclear programme.8221;

While this was bound to provoke a reaction from New Delhi, it8217;s the tenor of the reaction that surprised many, laced as it was by unusual rhetoric: 8220;It is important that the genius of each nation living in a particular region is respected and allowed to flower to meet the expectations of enriching relations with neighbours.8221;

This fits in with the moves the government has made in the past three months to underline that it8217;s pursuing an 8220;independent foreign policy8221; 8212; the centrepiece of the Left8217;s criticism of the Manmohan Singh government.

The Left8217;s key accusations: India damaged its relationship with Iran at the cost of supporting the US; India is soft on Israel; there have been no political visits to the Gulf and the PM has ignored the neighbourhood by not undertaking a bilateral visit and, of course, not promoting closer ties with Russia and China.

As if in response, consider the following Government steps:

Story continues below this ad

8226; Ahmadinejad will become the first Iranian president to visit India in the last four years. External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee will visit Iran in July for the joint commission meeting.

8226; There have three statements since last month condemning the violence in Gaza besides taking up the issue strongly in UN Human Rights Council. The Congress party too has issued separate statements on this.

8226; Mukherjee visited Saudi Arabia last week and conveyed that the PM will also undertake a trip soon.

8226; Special emphasis is being given to China. India went out of way to secure the Olympic torch and the Chinese Embassy. Mukherjee will visit China on June 4-7 and the PM is expected to undertake a second trip to China this year for the Asia-Europe Meet in October.

Story continues below this ad

8226; As for the neighbourhood, PM will visit Bhutan on May 15 and then go for the SAARC Summit to Colombo in the next few months. A visit to Pakistan, too, is on the cards.

Such a flurry of 8220;independent8221; action couldn8217;t have come at a more relevant time. The Left-UPA meeting on the nuclear deal is fixed for May 6, a day after the IAEA Board meets to pass its annual budget. All board members will be present in Vienna in mid-May. The Nuclear Suppliers Group plenary meet is also expected soon after, around May 17. Given the tight time-frame, sources say that this could very well be the last window to try and revive any 8220;slight prospect8221; to get the deal done.