By M.R. Narayan Swamy
New Delhi, Aug 19 (IANS) Sections in the Left say that the only way to end the current political crisis sparked by the serious differences on the India-US civil nuclear agreement is to draw up a new agreed agenda on foreign policy with the government.
Sources in the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) say they are well aware that the nuclear agreement cannot be undone, whether or not the communist bloc stops propping up Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, or even if a new government takes power.
So even if withdrawal of crucial legislative support to the government would seriously endanger it, the CPI-M in particular is not too keen on it because that would oust out the Congress-led ruling coalition but leave the nuclear agreement in tact.
Also, Left leaders realize the government cannot undo the agreement anyway without serious loss of face, both domestically and internationally.
Accordingly, the CPI-M – the party’s views best voiced by its general secretary Prakash Karat – is now starting to harp more on the negatives of any “strategic embrace” with the US, rather than just focusing on the nuclear deal.
This means, sources close to Karat told IANS, that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government could sign a new common minimum programme (CMP) with the Left that would spell out, in whatever language, that India never be subservient to US goals, nuclear agreement or no nuclear agreement.
Such a CMP would be on the lines of the CMP the Left and UPA signed after the 2004 general elections outlining the broad areas of governance.
“I don’t see any other way out,” a senior CPI-M leader told IANS, not wanting to be identified because of the sensitive nature of the political negotiations in progress. “We all know Karat. He is a straight man, he is steeped in ideology, he doesn’t believe in backroom politics or compromises.
“Karat and others have come to think that enough is enough. The CPI-M’s opposition to the Indo-US strategic alliance began right from the 2005 Defence Framework Agreement that (then Defence Minister) Pranab Mukherjee signed.
“People may well ask: ‘If that was the case, why did the Left not withdraw support then? Why do this after 18 months of torturous negotiations over the nuclear agreement?’
“The initial feeling in the party was, ‘Well, agreements by themselves don’t mean much, we will wait and see how things proceed.'”
According to CPI-M sources, Karat’s faith in government assertions that it would always pursue an independent foreign policy despite growing ties with Washington was rudely shaken when India voted against Iran at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) meetings in Vienna, not once but twice.
And the deepening military ties between the US and India and New Delhi’s decision to back US President George W. Bush’s agenda of promoting democracy in the world have made the Left wonder if this is a government worth propping up.
“Since the prime minister has told the Left to take-it-or-leave-it and since Karat has stated that the Left cannot back the nuclear deal, the only way out is some public declaration on foreign policy goals that would leave the nuclear agreement, which is a fait accompli, but ensure that we don’t toe the American line anymore,” the CPI-M source said.
But the CPI-M is not unduly worried about a snap election. “If elections are held, we may or may not lose some seats, but the Congress will lose heavily,” the source said.
Are there “moderates” in the CPI-M leadership who can perhaps overrule Karat?
“Most unlikely,” a party source said. “I have known Karat for 30 long years. His voice carries tremendous weight in both the politburo and the central committee. You can talk to him ideologically. But, then, ideologically he is too strong.”