Govt backs down over N-deal after Left's threat

SHADOW OF THE LEFT: The MEA said the US has been informed that the N-deal won't be finalised by July.

    

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Keywords: IAEA, Sitaram Yechury

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has confirmed that the talks with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on India-specific safeguards have been completed.

"We had decided in November last year we would go to the IAEA for talks on India-specific safeguards. That stage is over now. We have completed the negotiation. We had told them (Left) that before we finalise we will come and report to you what transpired at the IAEA," Mukherjee said.

While this means that the Indo-US civil nuclear deal has reached a decisive phase, Mukherjee has indicated that they will go ahead only after a green signal from the Left whose support is cruicial for the survival of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government.

Mukherjee signalled that the UPA is not in favour of sacrificing the government at the altar of the nuclear deal.

The UPA-Left nuclear committee will be meeting shortly to discuss the issue.

So the UPA government seems to be backing down a bit on the Indo-US nuclear deal after the Communist Party of India (CPI) made an official statement on Friday that the party would withdraw its support if the government went ahead with the deal.

CPI General Secretary AB Bardhan has already written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and asked him not to go ahead with the deal.

"What’s the hurry?” Bardhan asked. “If you move ahead with the deal, then the Left parties will withdraw support."

Bardhan’s letter stated: "Should the Government decide to push ahead with the deal, we will not and cannot be a party to go along with it. We will then be left with no other option than to withdraw our support to the Government.”

He also said that the PM’s efforts to build a consensus were hollow as no consensus was possible.

Referring to US Assistant Under Secretary of State Richard Boucher's statement that "the nature of the govt, minority or caretaker will be of no concern to the US when the agreement is signed", Bardhan questioned why this statement went unchallenged.

Now, 24 hours after the threat by the CPI, the government is backing off, at least for the moment.

Mukherjee said that no one in the government is talking of an early poll. He further said that none of the Congress' coalition partners wanted an early election.