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Indo-Us Nuclear Deal : Issues | updated : july 02 / 2008

UPA
UPA | We support Prime Minister, Congress president Sonia Gandhi New Delhi (PTI): With no signs of any breakthrough in the stand-off with the Left parties on the Indo-US nuclear deal, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday night pitched herself into discussions with UPA constituents who disfavoured early elections. Top leaders of the UPA constituents, including NCP chief Sharad Pawar, RJD's Lalu Prasad and LJP's Ram Vilas Paswan, discussed efforts to resolve the stalemate , two days ahead of the Left-UPA meeting. While the Left parties ruled out any change in the stand of total opposition to the deal, Samajwadi Party, which is reported to have assured Congress of support, dismissed such reports as "kite flying". CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat met Pawar after the NCP chief's meeting with Gandhi and discussed the current situation. Left sources maintained that if the government moved the IAEA Board of Governors, it would amount to a violation of the agreement reached at the meeting of the UPA-Left Committee on November 16 last year. They reiterated their threat to break away from UPA if the next step was made on the issue, saying their position was non-negotiable. The sources discounted the possibility of a middle path at this moment to resolve the impasse. They feel the government was probably in some sort of compulsion or hurry to secure a breakthrough before the Prime Minister meets US President George W. Bush on the sidelines of the G-8 summit in Japan in the first week of July. With External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee away in Australia and the government keen on going to IAEA, Gandhi consulted leaders of UPA constituent parties. "This is not the time for polls... This is the time to deal with issues like inflation," Prasad told reporters, adding discussions will have to be conducted keeping in mind the "interest of the nation". After his meetings with Gandhi and Karat, Pawar said "I am confident that through dialogue some way out will be found." Asked whether the nuclear deal was worth losing a partner like the Left parties, he said "we have not reached that stage yet." The NCP chief also sought to dismiss suggestions of early elections. On his meeting with Gandhi, Pawar said he discussed the overall thinking on the nuclear deal and "tried to understand the situation" as he would not be present for the UPA-Left meeting on Wednesday. Paswan emphasised that the government was in no danger and suggested that the stand-off between the Congress and Left could be ended. "The government is not falling, this much I can tell you," the LJP chief said after meeting Gandhi. "The government will remain and we all will remain together. Left parties will also be with us," Paswan said, adding "there is no issue in the world that cannot be resolved through talks." Samajwadi Party kept its cards close to the chest on its stand on supporting the Congress saying a meeting of the United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA) will be convened soon to discuss the nuclear deal issue. "We are in touch with leaders of UNPA allies and a date will be fixed soon according to the convenience of all including SP general secretary Amar Singh who is abroad," SP president Mulayam Singh Yadav said. Yadav's trusted lieutenant Amar Singh described as "kite flying" reports that his party would support the UPA government in case of a trial of strength. He said his party could not change the stand on the nuclear deal all of a sudden. Singh also did not feel that the government would not fall as both the Left and the UPA would reach a compromise as had happened in the past.
CPI(M)
N-deal: CPI(M) reiterates stand BS Reporter / New Delhi June 30, 2008, 0:16 IST Politburo asks state units to work for regional alliances. A day after Congress President Sonia Gandhi asked her lieutenants to plan for the Lok Sabha elections, the CPI(M) also positioned itself for the final assault: its Politburo formally announced that the party's support to the UPA government would be withdrawn if it went ahead with the Indo-US nuclear deal. Besides, the Politburo also asked the CPI(M)'s state units to start working on alliances with regional parties. After hours of formal and backroom consultations on the nuclear deal, the CPI(M) has realised that the Congress leadership, especially Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, is not in a mood to succumb to its pressure. As signals come that the Congress is eager to shake hands with the Samajwadi Party and dump the Left to save the deal, CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat today prevailed upon the Politburo to take the extreme step. "In case the government decides to go ahead with such a harmful agreement, which has no majority support in Parliament, the CPI(M) will withdraw support to the UPA government in concert with the Left parties," Karat read out the Politburo resolution. The Politburo had been authorised by its central committee to take the final call on this issue. Karat refused to entertain any question and left it unclear if he would allow a minority UPA government to run. His colleagues, however, privately claimed that the Left would vote against the government once support was withdrawn. Party leaders from West Bengal, perceived to be uncomfortable with early elections, too evaded direct questions about poll preparedness. While Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said that he "can't hear questions from the press", state general secretary Biman Bose said, "Can't say anything now. The Left Front will meet on June 30 in Kolkata and we will be able to answer (about polls) if the situation arises." A perturbed CPI(M) also pinned the PM for this impasse. "At a time when the government should be gearing up to take comprehensive steps to tackle inflation, the PM and the Congress leadership are more concerned about fulfilling their commitment made to President Bush to operationalise the nuclear deal," the Politburo said. In a clear signal that the CPI(M), during the poll run-up, will blame the Congress for encouraging "communalism", the Politburo added, "The UPA was formed to keep the communal forces at bay. By taking such a step, and the political consequences thereafter, that purpose will be undermined." "The Manmohan Singh government has abjectly failed to tackle inflation. The price rise of essential commodities imposes a crushing burden on the people. The Congress-led government callously refuses to take urgent steps necessary to curb price rise and provide relief to the people," it said. New Delhi, July 1 (ANI): Samajwadi Party's General Secretary Amar Singh held talks with his Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) counterpart Prakash Karat here today as the standoff over the Indo-US nuclear deal between the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government and the left parties continued. SP General Secretary, who held deliberations on the deal with External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday, making the first contact between the SP and Centre ruling Congress Party, since the deadlock, said if fresh facts are given, they were ready for talks.
BJP
‘BJP won’t seek no-confidence vote’ 7/2/2008 12:16:35 PM Bharatiya Janata President Rajnath Singh Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Rajnath Singh today (July 2) said that the BJP won't initiate or bring a no-confidence motion against the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in the Parliament, if the Left parties pull out over the Indo-US nuclear deal. Speaking to the reporters in Kanpur, Singh said that the BJP was never against the U.S. per se, but was against the nuclear deal in the present format. “The UPA government should tread a cautious path while reaching an agreement with the US on this sensitive issue,” says BJP leader LK Advani. On June 29, the BJP had warned the UPA of move a no-confidence motion in parliament against the UPA government if the Left withdraws its support to the Congress lead coalition. Asking the UPA government to seek a confidence vote in the Lok Sabha if it wanted to go ahead with the Indo-US nuclear deal, BJP stalwart LK Advani said the Centre should focus on burning issues and development instead of fighting with left parties over the proposed pact. "We will ask the government to face a confidence vote in the Lok Sabha on the nuclear issue following the present political situation," he said while addressing a rally in Rourkela. "We cannot sacrifice our atomic energy and future testsin Pokhran by signing the agreement with the USA," Advani said pointing out that it was during BJP-led NDA rule that the second Pokhran test was conducted. The present statement from BJP president Rajnath Singh clearly indicates the softening of stand from the BJP, which is now looking at a virtually lost political battle on the N-deal.