Left out, PM gets allies' support for N-deal

MIND MADE UP: The Prime Minister seems to have decided that nuclear deal must be concluded.

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New Delhi: The Centre has decided to overrule the Left Front’s opposition and is wooing its other allies for the Indo-US nuclear deal.

RJD chief and Railway Minister Lalu Prasad on Thursday it would be “unfortunate” if the agreement falls through. "I am hopeful the deal will come through and if not, it will be unfortunate for the country," said Prasad before meeting CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury.

"Governments come and go. Nuclear power is a requirement and assets must be created for our next generation," said Prasad.

''The UPA government was installed at the Centre after hammering out a Common Minimum Programme. There may be disagreement among the parties on certain issues, but it is also incumbent upon them to thrash out their differences without putting the Government into a jeopardy,'' he said.

NCP spokesperson D P Tripathi said his party would back the nuclear deal and would try to convince the Left. “We are with the Government on the nuclear deal issue. I know it’s difficult to convince the Left but we will try,” he said.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has requested NCP chief and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar to convince the Left to come on board but the Communists are unmoved.

“The CPI-M politburo has been authorised by the Central Committee to take any decision in this regard. We have already made it clear that if the Government goes ahead (with the nuclear deal) we will have to reconsider support," said Yechury.

Yechury though gave the government some leeway. "There is nothing like a point of no return. We can explore the possibilities in the next meeting (of the UPA-Left nuclear panel)," he said.

IANS reports CPI-M general secretary Prakash Karat has had telephonic discussions with DMK chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi. But the DMK too declared on Thursday that it was with the prime minister on the nuclear deal.

However, Lok Janshakti Party leader and Steel Minister Ramvilas Paswan said his party would go by what the UPA-Left nuclear committee decides, a position akin to that of the Left.

He said the issue could be discussed at the next meeting of the 15-member UPA-Left nuclear committee.

A scheduled meeting of the UPA-Left nuclear panel was postponed Wednesday after two meetings between Mukherjee and Karat could not find a common ground to resolve the crisis.

There were a series of meetings and discussions in the Congress also. Sonia Gandhi, her political secretary Ahmed Patel, Defence Minister A K Antony and Mukherjee discussed the party's options if the Left chose to end its legislative support. Gandhi also spoke to Manmohan Singh Wednesday evening.