UNPA meet begins to decide on supporting UPA Govt

NUKE THE DEAL: TDP is toeing the line taken by the Left party on the nuclear deal.

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New Delhi: The crucial UNPA meeting which would finalise its strategy on the Indo-US nuclear deal issue began in the Capital on Thursday.

Hours before the meeting, TDP chief and UNPA Convenor N Chandrababu Naidu met Left leaders Prakash Karat and AB Bardhan to consolidate its stand on the deal.

TDP, the Opposition party in Congress-ruled Andhra Pradesh, is toeing the line taken by the Left party on the nuclear deal.

Perturbed by reports that Samajwadi Party is moving towards the Congress, Naidu had rushed two of his emissaries to New Delhi to try and ensure that the nascent political grouping remains intact.

TDP Parliamentary Party leader, K Yerran Naidu and former MP, K Ramamohana Rao, flew to Delhi, significantly two days before the crucial meeting of the UNPA on July 3.

But it seems the TDP’s worst fears are coming true, as SP seems all set to join hands with the Congress.

SP General Secretary Amar Singh on Wednesday said, “I am happy that the era of political bitterness (between the SP and the Congress) is over,” he said.

The SP, whose 39 MPs can play a crucial role in helping the Government if the Left parties withdraw support on the issue of Indo-US nuclear deal, on Monday appeared to send signals that it was not averse to doing business with the Congress in the context of the crisis.

“National crisis does not belong to politics. This belongs to the nation. If the Prime Minister of India wants to engage in discussions, it is not wrong to talk (to him). You may agree to disagree, but non-communication is the worst thing in politics,” Singh said shortly on his return from the United States.