Words, ultimatums

After the UPA-Left coordination committee meeting was postponed on Wednesday, Congress spokespersons have voiced ample hope that they would win agreement from the Left on the next steps in confirming a safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency. Subtle gestures from the same spokespersons and shrill ultimatums from the Left, however, belie that hope somewhat. What is more remarkable is the urgent coherence on the nuclear deal that has come these past couple of days to Congress leaders. After months of hedging, they now voice their party8217;s dilemma: Having been so articulate in underlining the significance of the nuclear deal, will they not strike a sorry posture if they give up on it because of the Left8217;s ideological animus against the United States? These columns have been consistently impatient with the Congress for allowing the Left inordinate leverage in setting foreign policy for the UPA government. Equally, it must be recognised that it always takes political courage to stake one8217;s government on a matter of conviction. And this resolve would, in turn, commit the government to a more forceful course.

It will always remain a mystery why the UPA was unable, even reluctant, to sell the nuclear deal politically 8212; and thereby worked itself into a corner from where it had to plead incremental concessions from the Left. An initiative that was so emphatically won internationally was allowed to be jeopardised domestically. Perhaps that lack of spadework to win political consensus on the nuclear deal now demands of the Congress braver words than it may have the nerves for. Those words are certainly audible. AICC media cell chairperson Veerappa Moily, for instance, had this to say: 8220;The question here is whether we can go back from a historic milestone just because somebody has a bias against a particular country8230; The question is whether the national agenda can be sacrificed for any party8217;s ideological agenda. Nobody can forgive this kind of betrayal.8221;

The case for and against calling the Left8217;s bluff is being tallied on behalf of the Congress. But the crucial reading on the ledger is not how many months more or less in power the Congress could be left with, or the comparative projection of inflation figures six and ten months from now. At election time, voters will be receptive to something else. It is what the Congress owned as its understanding of the national interest and the political risks it took to secure that agenda.