By Murali Krishnan and Faraz Ahmad
New Delhi, Aug 19 (IANS) The beleaguered government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, battling the Left parties with its back to the wall on the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal, is under pressure from the smaller coalition partners to hammer out a settlement at the earliest.
None of the constituents of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) want a mid-term election at this particular point and are eager to see that the present crisis blows over soon.
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad had two rounds of discussions with Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) politburo member Sitaram Yechury asking him to temper down his party’s confrontation with the government. Even DMK chief Muthuvel Karunanidhi and Lok Janashakti president Ram Vilas Paswan talked to CPI-M leaders.
The stakes are obviously high for the UPA, facing its worst political crisis in the last three years, as the Left parties, which commands 60 seats in the Lok Sabha and props up the government, threatens to withdraw support if the nuclear deal is operationalised.
Crisis managers were at work Sunday to find a way to resolve the political deadlock over the nuclear deal as the Left parties appeared ready to give Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s government time to work out a mechanism to address their concerns.
Yechury met Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee who, along with senior leaders A.K. Antony and Ahmed Patel, was trying to hammer out a compromise formula.
External Affairs Minister Mukherjee told reporters: “While the deal text is frozen, there are other stages,” adding that “Efforts are on to work out a compromise” with the Left to break the political deadlock.
“We are making serious efforts… both sides are engaged in talks on various fronts. We are also talking to our allies and among ourselves,” Mukherjee told reporters.
The government was assessing the situation and examining all angles, he said, adding: “Let us see how we can proceed.”
RJD leader and Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh told IANS: “It is true that the Left parties cannot go with the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), but it is also well known that this government is totally dependent on Left support.
“We should not turn this into some ego clash,” said Singh, indicating that allies are concerned about the crisis that threatens the UPA government and wanting a resolution.
Given the circumstances, the UPA think tank will have to come up with a compromise formula to tide over the crisis with the Left giving absolutely no room for compromise in the nuclear deal.
Mukherjee pointed out that the next step in the deal for the government was to hold negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for finalising India-specific safeguards for the nuclear facilities that would be subjected to the global watchdog’s inspections.
“One way out of the present crisis is to defer talks with IAEA and that may give more breathing space as well as time for manoeuvring,” said a UPA leader who did not want to be named.
While most of the 12 allies back the government on crucial policy decisions, they simply do not want a situation where the government falls because of “ideological differences” over the nuclear deal and where they have to perforce face the electorate, with little or no preparation.
Besides his telephone conversation, Karunanidhi, realising that the crisis could get out of hand, also issued a statement asking the UPA leadership to negotiate with the Left.
At a crucial meeting of UPA constituents chaired jointly by Manmohan Singh and chairperson Sonia Gandhi, one key leader minced no words and pointed out to the absolute necessity of patching up with the Left parties and not antagonising them further.
“While we are fully with the government on most issues, we simply cannot and want a situation where the government falls because of a Left pullout,” admitted a key UPA leader.
“Many of us faced the last general elections as allies of the Left parties. We may still have to go to the polls as Left allies in many states in the next general elections. But how can we afford to take a position that is totally antithetical to the Left position on the question of nationality and sovereignty?” he succinctly said.
Raghunath Jha, a RJD MP, hoped that the Left parties was seized of the ground realities and did not precipitate a crisis.
“It may seem to many that this crisis has reached a point of no return, but the Left parties must understand the reality of the political situation and the prime minister must further clarify that this deal does not compromise India’s sovereignty,” he said.
With the 123 agreement accepted by both countries, the nuclear agreement has to be approved by the US Congress and the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group before full-fledged nuclear commerce can begin.
The deal seeks to open full nuclear energy cooperation with energy-starved India after a gap of 30 years. This cooperation was suspended after India conducted nuclear tests in 1974 and 1998.
“If the government makes any suggestions about examining the implications of the Hyde Act and our objections to the deal, we will examine it,” CPI-M politburo member Yechury said after a brief meeting with Mukherjee.
The Hyde Act is the American domestic law that permits civil nuclear cooperation with India.
“The government must decide a mechanism to address our concerns,” said Yechury, adding that his party had received no concrete proposals from the government.