A compromise of sorts was struck on the Indo-US nuclear deal on Monday after an emotional outburst from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the morning.
Statement denied by Cong, but serves aim to restrain Left
NEW DELHI: The deal is dead. Long live the deal.
A compromise of sorts was struck on the Indo-US nuclear deal on Monday after an emotional outburst from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the morning.
The government signalled that the deal is on hold. But, by not putting it down in writing, as demanded by the Left, it has retained the hope of reviving it if ever an opportunity presents itself in the future.
The tussle for a face-saver for the Congress has been on ever since Sonia Gandhi and the Prime Minister put the survival of the government above the nuclear deal.
Statements from smaller Left parties like the CPI, Forward Bloc and RSP, demanding a written assurance that the deal is on hold, were countered by aggressive insistence from Congress leaders that the deal will go through.
What has been upsetting the government is the CPI(M)’s reluctance to rein in its smaller allies.
Although Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechury themselves refrained from raising the bar or making triumphalist comments, they refused to restrain the leaders of the other Left parties.
It was the Prime Minister who finally forced the issue hours before the UPA-Left committee on the nuclear deal was scheduled to meet on Monday.
In an anguished intervention during a session with top Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi and UPA allies like Sharad Pawar and Lalu Yadav, Manmohan Singh reminded those present that they had approved the 123 agreement in separate meetings of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs and later the full Cabinet.
He said he was ``embarrassed’’ at the way the issue had been handled and
felt ``let down’’ because of the lack of support after the controversy broke out.
But a party spokesman declined to confirm that the Prime Minister said any
such thing.
Singh’s remarks were meant to kill two birds with one stone. They were a pre-emptive strike against the expected Left demand for a written assurance.
At the same time, it was a not-so-gentle warning to the allies that this time, he expected them to support the government against the Left.
Significantly, in this round, Singh seemed to have the backing of his party, which has been feeling miffed by the public capitulation to the Left.
A top government source said it would have been humiliating to do what the Left wanted.
“We have worked hard with members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group to get them to back us on the nuclear issue. How can we turn around now and say the deal is dead?’’ he commented.
With the next meeting of the nuclear committee scheduled for November 16, the government and the Left now have three weeks to try for a closure on the controversy that has dogged the ruling establishment for more than two months.
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