CPM meet on Oct 18 to chart out modalities of withdrawal
The decision to convene the meeting comes in the backdrop of Centre’s plans to approach the IAEA in mid-October for working out the India-specific safeguards.
By Amita Shah, TNN |
NEW DELHI: With the Congress all set to formally reject the Left’s reservations on the Indo-US nuclear deal, the CPM has convened a meeting of its polit bureau on October 18 to decide on the modailties of the pullout from the ruling side.
The decision to convene the meeting comes in the backdrop of Centre’s plans to approach the IAEA in mid-October for working out the India-specific safeguards.
At the last meeting of the UPA-Left panel, the government interlocuters had told Left nominees on the committee that the Centre cannot put off negotations with the IAEA for long. There are indications that the government may inform the Left about its IAEA plans in the October 9 meeting of the panel.
There were also clear signs of the worsening of relations between the Congress and the Left on Sunday. Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who delivered a verbal caning on the critics of the deal at a Congress rally in Haryana’s Jhajjar, said “those opposing the deal are enemies of the nation” and that they should be taught a lesson. The Left retaliated by blaming the Congress for forcing an early election.
Sources in the CPM said the October 18 meeting of the politbureau will focus on the next step of the Left and its friendly parties. At a meeting of Left and the Samajwadi Party a week ago, the two sides had agreed to take concerted action against the Union government.
Although the thinking in the Left was that it would get an opportunity to make the announcement of the pull out in Parliament, they are now forced to have a relook at the timetable that it had set for ending the alliance with Congress. Many of its senior leaders are of the view that the Left should announce the withdrawal of support before the government approaches the IAEA.
At the CPM-SP meeting, the participants had said that the Left and the UNPA should do everything to restrain the government from taking the next step on the deal. The meeting had also discussed the idea of sponsoring a no confidence motion against the Manmohan Singh goverment. As the BJP has ruled out any plans to take the same route, the Congress will not be able to invoke the “secular-communal” card for forcing the “secular” parties to fall in line.
A parliamentary debate would have given the partners to end the association without much acrimony. There were expectations that the government would announce the dissolution of the Lok Sabha after the debate citing lack of support for its foreign policy. But this calculation appears to be going awry with the Congress president launching a frontal attack on the Left on Sunday.
Meanwhile, in Kolkata external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee held yet another round of talks with politbureau member Jyoti Basu. In his last interaction, the CPM leader had told the minister that there was no question of the Left backing off from its stand on the nuclear deal. In any case, the apex decision-making body of the CPM — the central committee — had reduced the elbow room for any negotations by endorsing party general secretary Prakash Karat’s tough line against the Centre.
The decision to convene the meeting comes in the backdrop of Centre’s plans to approach the IAEA in mid-October for working out the India-specific safeguards.
At the last meeting of the UPA-Left panel, the government interlocuters had told Left nominees on the committee that the Centre cannot put off negotations with the IAEA for long. There are indications that the government may inform the Left about its IAEA plans in the October 9 meeting of the panel.
There were also clear signs of the worsening of relations between the Congress and the Left on Sunday. Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who delivered a verbal caning on the critics of the deal at a Congress rally in Haryana’s Jhajjar, said “those opposing the deal are enemies of the nation” and that they should be taught a lesson. The Left retaliated by blaming the Congress for forcing an early election.
Sources in the CPM said the October 18 meeting of the politbureau will focus on the next step of the Left and its friendly parties. At a meeting of Left and the Samajwadi Party a week ago, the two sides had agreed to take concerted action against the Union government.
Although the thinking in the Left was that it would get an opportunity to make the announcement of the pull out in Parliament, they are now forced to have a relook at the timetable that it had set for ending the alliance with Congress. Many of its senior leaders are of the view that the Left should announce the withdrawal of support before the government approaches the IAEA.
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At the CPM-SP meeting, the participants had said that the Left and the UNPA should do everything to restrain the government from taking the next step on the deal. The meeting had also discussed the idea of sponsoring a no confidence motion against the Manmohan Singh goverment. As the BJP has ruled out any plans to take the same route, the Congress will not be able to invoke the “secular-communal” card for forcing the “secular” parties to fall in line.
A parliamentary debate would have given the partners to end the association without much acrimony. There were expectations that the government would announce the dissolution of the Lok Sabha after the debate citing lack of support for its foreign policy. But this calculation appears to be going awry with the Congress president launching a frontal attack on the Left on Sunday.
Meanwhile, in Kolkata external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee held yet another round of talks with politbureau member Jyoti Basu. In his last interaction, the CPM leader had told the minister that there was no question of the Left backing off from its stand on the nuclear deal. In any case, the apex decision-making body of the CPM — the central committee — had reduced the elbow room for any negotations by endorsing party general secretary Prakash Karat’s tough line against the Centre.
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