By IANS
New Delhi : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was Saturday faced with the worst political crisis in three years after communist leader Prakash Karat warned there would be “serious consequences” for the Congress-led government and the country if it went ahead with the Indo-US civil nuclear agreement.
Speaking after meeting Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) general secretary said he and his colleague Sitaram Yechury had conveyed the strong reservations of the Left over the nuclear deal to the two leaders, putting the onus of ending the row on the ruling party.
“It is for the Congress leadership to decide on the matter which will have serious consequences for the government and the country,” Karat told reporters. “I wish to stress that the Left parties are firmly united on the stand that this agreement should not go forward.”
Karat’s ultimatum – after his party ended a two-day meeting of the politburo – has put the ball in the government’s court.
The Congress party, which made conciliatory noises after the meeting, was expected to give its official response later in the evening.
Left sources said Karat’s statement was a response to Manmohan Singh’s comments telling the Left in an interview to withdraw support to his government if they could not back the deal.
“Now it is up to the prime minister and the government to decide whether they are ready to re-negotiate the deal or to address our concerns when the agreement is taken to the NSG (Nuclear Suppliers Group),” a Left leader told IANS here.
Political observers pointed out that the Left is trying to drive a wedge between the prime minister and his party, which traditionally has never been sympathetic to Washington.
While a section of the Congress feels that an early parliamentary election would fetch the party more seats, others argue that the government should be ready to freeze the deal to remain in power.
However, Congress sources indicated that Manmohan Singh, who had termed the nuclear deal with Washington a historic deal, would not be ready to keep it on hold. “He may prefer to step down,” said a senior party leader.
CPI-M sources said Karat and Yechury did not speak about withdrawal of Left support to the Congress-led government when they met Manmohan Singh and Gandhi Saturday.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee was also at the meeting in which the communist leaders conveyed the politburo decision to oppose the nuclear pact, which they say will make India a junior partner to US strategic designs.
Immediately after Karat’s threat, the Congress core group comprising Gandhi, Manmohan Singh, Pranab Mukherjee, Defence Minister A.K. Antony and Gandhi’s political secretary Ahmad Patel met to take stock of the latest situation that has cast a shadow on the government.
If the Left withdraws support, the government will cease to enjoy majority support in parliament, a development that can cripple the ruling coalition.
Karat was blunt: “This nuclear agreement is not acceptable to us. Till all the objections are considered and implications of the Hyde Act evaluated, the government should not take the next step with regard to negotiating a safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
“I think the government knows the majority in parliament have strong reservations over the matter. So the democratic way would be to hold the agreement till the doubts and apprehensions are clarified.
“We have explained to them (Manmohan Singh and Gandhi) how we view this agreement, how we think it is necessary for the government to look at all the aspects before going to the next step which will make it a fait accompli.
“We hope they will discuss the (politburo) resolution and get back to us. We will have to wait for their response.”
In response to questions, Karat said the Indo-US nuclear agreement should not be seen “as a narrow party issue. It concerns the entire country. So we are saying (that) don’t proceed, discuss the matter, take into account all the matters and then we can take a decision”.
Asked if he desired Manmohan Singh to quit, Karat replied: “I am not suggesting anything. I asked them not to take the next step”.
Earlier, in a signed article in “People’s Democracy”, the CPI-M mouthpiece, Karat pointed out that the deal was “only one part of the wide-ranging alliance that the UPA government has forged with the US”.
“This agreement covers political, economic, military and nuclear cooperation. This alliance entails not just nuclear cooperation but talks of the two countries promoting global democracy, revamping the Indian economy to facilitate large scale investment by the US and a strategic military collaboration.”
Karat criticised the UPA government’s “deepening collaboration with Israel” which, he said, violated India’s long-held policy of support to the Palestinian cause and friendship with the Arab countries. He also said the nuclear agreement would make the country block the “the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline”.