Fuzzy future: No clear accord on N-deal
The prairie fire of political crisis surged with the Left asserting that the next step on the Indo-US nuke deal will lead to the withdrawal of its support to the Centre.
By PTI |
NEW DELHI: The prairie fire of political crisis surged this evening with the Left asserting that the next step on the Indo-US nuclear deal, a discussion with the IAEA, will lead to the withdrawal of its support to the Centre and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh refusing to yield ground.
With the two sides sticking to their by now-familiar positions, the survival of the government, at least in its present form, looked untenable. That Mr Singh is just not ready for any concession was evident when his government repeated its stand on moving ahead with the deal and the Prime Minister himself planning to seek the support of Japan, an important member of the NSG, for the deal during his meeting with prime minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday.
Mr Abe is arriving on Tuesday. Mr Shyam Saran, Prime Minister’s envoy on nuclear issues, is reaching Brazil tomorrow to present a formal request for support in the NSG. On its part, the Left said the mechanism suggested by the government to discuss the deal was not enough to resolve the crisis.
| Also read: |
“The Left parties can understand the setting up of a committee or any other mechanism which can go into the objections regarding the agreement and evaluating the implications of the Hyde Act for the nuclear cooperation deal. But this can follow only when the next step at the IAEA is not taken,” a statement issued after the meeting of the Left parties said. In other words, the Left will be able to work with the government only if it abandons the next step on the nuclear deal.
The belligerence of the Left clearly enhanced the prospect of the country being pushed into an early poll. Allies of the UPA, who are wary of a mid-term election, had backed the government on the deal at a meeting here on Sunday night. But there is now realisation that the inevitable can be averted only if the Congress opts for some “out-of-the-box” thinking.
With the Left insisting that the deal be canned, a solution is possible only if the government accedes to its demand. The government can concede to the Left’s demand only at the cost of the prime ministerial authority. Mr Singh, who piloted the deal, will be divested of all credibility if he were forced to jettison the deal.
The Congress leadership may confront demands from the allies to find a solution to avoid polls. Although they have become backers of the N-deal, this enthusiasm could wane when faced with the prospect of an electoral encounter. The Congress’ spin masters may be claiming that the deal is politically saleable, but the battle-hardened politicians in the ruling side could say it’s not the right issue to invite an election.
Download
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.
Download
The Economic Times News App for Quarterly Results, Latest News in ITR, Business, Share Market, Live Sensex News & More.
The Economic Times News App for Quarterly Results, Latest News in ITR, Business, Share Market, Live Sensex News & More.
ADVERTISEMENT
