The Hindu Business Line : Govt weathers storm for now

New Delhi, Oct. 9 The chances of threat of an immediate political crisis leading to snap general elections in the country receded today with the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) buying time from the Left parties till October 22 before going ahead on negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The 15-member Left-UPA committee on the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal had a ‘cordial’ meeting today and it was decided that the committee would meet again on October 22.

“Where is the crisis? We are meeting again on October 22,” the CPI leader Mr A.B. Bardhan, told news persons. “Nothing till October 22,” the CPI(M) leader Mr Sitaram Yechury added. He also made it clear that the “Left agenda is nuclear deal and not mid-term elections or destabilisation.”

Lalu the peacemaker

The Railway Minister and RJD leader, Mr Lalu Prasad, was more forthcoming in announcing that the Government was not going to fall and that there would be no immediate general elections. Playing the peace maker role, the RJD leader is also understood to have said in the meeting that the situation was not such that extreme positions had to be taken and that all issues could be reconciled through discussions.

The Government, however, is understood to have not given any formal or informal assurance during the meeting.

‘Assurances’

Later in the afternoon, the four Left parties met at the CPI(M) office here. Emerging from this meeting, Mr Yechury said that while setting up the Left-UPA committee on the nuclear deal, the Government had given them an assurance and they were going by the understanding that the Government would take further steps only after the committee gave its findings. “Otherwise, what is the purpose of this committee,” he said.

Reiterating stand

He reiterated that the Left parties had told the Government that there should be no official forward movement with IAEA on India-specific safeguards and “till now, they have not proceeded forward.”

Asked about a possible reaction in case the Government went ahead with the nuclear deal, the CPI(M) leader reiterated that the Left parties had asked the Government not to proceed with the deal. “Once they take a decision, then we will decide what to do.”

Though relations between the UPA and the supporting Left parties had soured some months ago once India and the US announced the finalisation of the civil nuclear deal, matters came to a head last weekend when the Congress(I) President, Ms Sonia Gandhi, indicated that her party was not daunted by prospects of an early election and followed this up at a rally in Haryana on Sunday where she said those opposing the nuclear deal were against development.

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