By IANS
New Delhi : The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Thursday reiterated its strong objection to the Indo-US nuclear deal while making it clear that it was not keen to precipitate a crisis for the government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh or looking for early elections.
In remarks seen by some as a softening of his earlier stand, CPI-M general secretary Prakash Karat said his party was ready to examine any mechanism or committee to examine the fears raised by the nuclear agreement but added quickly that the government should not go ahead with its “operationalisation”.
There was no reaction from the government but its stand is expected to take concrete shape after Congress president and ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi returns from South Africa Thursday night.
Addressing a press conference after the conclusion of a two-day CPI-M Central Committee meeting, Karat said the Left would be prepared for any “mechanism” or “committee” – as proposed by the government – to address the concerns raised by them. In the same breath, however, he said this would be possible provided the “government does not take the next step” vis-à-vis the Indo-US deal.
A Central Committee resolution Karat read out said the party “does not want the current crisis to affect the government. However this is contingent upon the government not proceeding further with the agreement”.
The party emphasized that the nuclear deal “will bind India into a strategic alliance with the US with long term consequences”.
The resolution emphasized that sections of scientists and others were also against the deal and that the government lacked majority support in parliament to back it up.
“This alone should make the government pause and not proceed further with the next steps to be taken to operationalise the deal. It is incumbent on the government, which commands a majority in parliament only with the support of the Left parties, to heed the voices of opposition.”
Asked if the Left would withdraw support to the Congress-led government if it did not heed his advice, Karat remarked: “If the government operationalises the nuclear agreement, then its future lies with the government.”
In response to another question, he said: “Unfortunately we have to allay the impression that we are in a hurry to go for elections.”
Left sources insisted that there were clear indications of the government “climbing down” because even getting the support of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) countries was proving to be difficult.
And with almost all political parties in UPA – including those supporting the prime minister over the standoff – opposing a snap election, there will only be pressure on the Congress-led government to go slow on the nuclear agreement, the sources said.
Government sources have already indicated that the deal’s future was “bleak”. Without majority support in parliament, the government cannot pass the Atomic Energy Act and approve the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Convention, two requirements to make the deal a reality.
Karat, however, clarified that the Left parties had no objection to Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) chairman Anil Kakodkar’s visit to Vienna to attend the IAEA meeting in September.
At the Central Committee meeting, it was clear that no one in the CPI-M was in favour of going for elections. “But if the elections are imposed on us, we will make sure to explain that it did not happen because of us,” one leader told IANS.
The Left is watching closely the actions and statements of Manmohan Singh, who is standing firm on the nuclear deal.
At a joint press conference with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe, Manmohan Singh made it clear that India would go to the NSG as part of the steps for the nuke deal to go through.