The Hindu Business Line : Samajwadi Party supports Govt on nuclear deal

Coming on board: Samajwadi Party leaders Mr Mulayam Singh and Mr Amar Singh arriving to address the media after meeting the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, in New Delhi on Friday.

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New Delhi, July 4 On a day that saw the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government practically obtaining the Samajwadi Party’s (SP) formal support to the Indo-US nuclear deal, the latter continued with its diatribe against the Union Finance and Petroleum Ministers, Mr P. Chidambaram and Mr Murli Deora.

“He (Mr Deora) should behave as a Petroleum Minister and not as a minister for private refineries,” the SP General Secretary, Mr Amar Singh, told presspersons following his meeting with the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, here on Friday.

Mr Amar Singh alleged that private refineries had made ‘windfall profits’ during the current oil crisis and Mr Deora as Minister had defended this practice. Claiming that the Centre had banned steel and cement exports in response to domestic shortages, Mr Singh demanded that exports of petroleum products be similarly banned. “Steel and cement and petroleum should be treated at par,” he added.

Mr Chidambaram came in for equal criticism, with the SP leader holding him responsible for the current double-digit inflation. “Our fight is against rising inflation. We have nothing against Mr Chidambaram and Mr Deora. They are personal friends,” Mr Singh said, seeking to dismiss allegations of the SP resorting to ‘blackmail’ or wanting its pound of flesh in return for extending support to the UPA Government over the Indo-US nuclear deal.

Mr Amar Singh and the SP chief, Mr Mulayam Singh, earlier met the Prime Minister and the Congress President, Ms Sonia Gandhi. The meeting virtually clinched the deal between the two parties that until recently were at loggerheads with each other. With 39 Members of Parliament, the SP is expected to fill the void created in the event of the 61-member-strong Left parties withdrawing support to the ruling Alliance over the Government’s move to ink an India-specific safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The safeguards agreement is the precursor to the nuclear deal getting the go-ahead from the 45-country Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and eventually the US Congress.

Kalam’s endorsement

Mr Amar Singh said that his party had obtained endorsement for the Indo-US nuclear deal from former President Mr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. “Mr Kalam has assured us that the deal is in the national interest…All our politics is about national interest,” he said, maintaining that his party had not sought any Cabinet berths in return for its support.

The Left parties, on their part, set a deadline of July 7 for the Government to clearly state whether or not it intended to approach the IAEA. This was, however, rejected outright by the Congress, which, emboldened by the support from a new ally, stated that sovereign governments or political parties cannot be subjected to deadlines.

Dr Manmohan Singh is scheduled to meet the US President, Mr George Bush, on July 9 at the sidelines of the G-8 summit in Japan, where he is expected to discuss progress on the nuclear deal.

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