The Hindu Business Line : UPA, allies bid to find middle ground with Left

New Delhi, Aug. 19 A day after the Left parties served an ultimatum to the Government on the Indo-US civil nuclear deal, hectic attempts were made by the UPA and its allies here to break the logjam.

A meeting of the Congress core group was held on Sunday evening, ahead of a crucial meeting of UPA constituents, to find a way out of the standoff.

The core group, headed by the Congress chief, Ms Sonia Gandhi, and including the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, the External Affairs Minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, the Home Minister, Mr Shivraj Patil, and the Defence Minister, Mr A.K. Antony, is understood to have discussed the suggestion by CPI(M) that a mechanism be set up to study the implications of the Henry Hyde Act.

Just ahead of the UPA allies meeting, Mr Mukherjee said that efforts were under way to find a way out of the imbroglio.

Mr Mukherjee, who has been the Government’s key interlocutor on the issue, said that the allies felt a way out was possible.

“Everyone feels that a way out is possible. At the moment, it is difficult ... let us see,” he told presspersons.

The External Affairs Minister, who held talks with RJD leader, Mr Lalu Prasad, the NCP chief, Mr Sharad Pawar, and other allies, was non-committal on the key demand of the Left that the deal should not be operationalised.

“You have to find a way out. There are different stands on operationalisation.”

Noting that there were several stages like the IAEA and NSG guidelines, he said that unless these are done, “how can you say that the deal is through?”

He insisted that “many stages have to be gone through” after signing the text of the agreement.

Earlier, in the morning, the CPI (M) leader, Mr Mr Sitaram Yechury, who met Mr Mukherjee at his residence, categorically asserted that there was no question of a compromise on the stand taken by the Left.

However, he suggested the setting up of a mechanism to study implications of the Hyde Act on India’s sovereignty.

“There is no compromise at this stage. Unless all the implications of the Hyde Act are evaluated, the Government should not proceed.”

While the Government has responded positively to the demand made by the Left to have a mechanism in place to study the deal afresh, the issue of any major delays in the process for concluding the formalities could have a bearing on the fate of the deal, according to experts.