NEW DELHI, Oct 3 (APP): All political parties, including the ruling Congress in India are preparing for mid- term polls.The Indian daily “The Asian Age” reported on Wednesday “there is a certainty within the Left, BJP and the Congress that a mid-term poll is now inevitable, even if the civilian nuclear energy deal is delayed by a few months.”
Meanwhile, the Left parties had renewed its threat to the Congress-led government not to operationlise the Indo-US nuclear deal, otherwise it would withdrawal support from the government.
According to the daily, the Congress was now awaiting the return of External Affairs Minister from the United States in the hope that he would have convinced the Bush administration to go slow on the nuclear deal.
The ruling congress party is divided over the issue with several leaders think that the delay will not help the government beyond certain point because the Left parties have already taken the position of opposition with regards to Indo-US deal.
There is general consensus within the Congress on early general elections, “although whether it is early next year or later will depend on what Mukherjee has been able gain from his visit to the US.”
The government has already moving ahead with different programmes including extending of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act to the entire country, hike in bonus for government employees, implementation of the Srikrishna Commission report and special concessions to small and medium newspapers, which are seen here as run-up to the mid-term polls.
The daily quoting the sources said the Opposition including NDA and UNPA will insist on a special session for the government to prove its majority as soon as the “Left conveys its decision to withdraw support in case New Delhi approaches the IAEA.” The opposition leaders are clear that they will not wait till November for the winter session of the Parliament. They will insist on a confidence motion, if the government will lose the required support in the Parliament.
The Congress leaders are convinced the Left will not compromise on its basic agenda and the Congress cannot compromise economic and strategic agenda set out by the government under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the daily added.