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| UPA Govt in trouble, Left ups ante | | | New Delhi | June 21
The stalemate between the government and Left parties today showed no signs of resolution as the CPI(M) maintained its hardline on the nuclear agreement with the United States and the UPA coalition suffered another jolt when BSP withdrew its support to it.
Government's chief negotiator on the deal, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who leaves for Australia tonight, met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh this morning and apprised him of his discussions with the Left parties and UPA constituents on the stand-off.
Hectic activities are expected to resumed when Mukherjee returns from his visit on June 24, a day ahead of the next crucial meeting of the UPA-Left Committee on nuclear deal.
Compared to the frenetic pace of consultations between government, UPA constituents and Left parties in the last two days, there was lull today.
NCP spokesperson D P Tripati called on CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat here while his party boss Sharad Pawar said in Pune that Left parties do not want to push the UPA government over the brink.
Pawar said there are signs of finding a way out of the current impasse over the contentious Indo-US nuclear deal.
However, the CPI(M) issued a strong statement accusing the government of mounting a "massive disinformation campaign" to promote a "bad" nuclear deal, which it said, was only a cover to promote strategic ties with the US.
"Mythical energy claims are being made in order to promote a bad nuclear deal. Energy is just a cover. The real intent is India-US strategic ties," it said.
The party also accused the government of "dragging its feet" on the Iran gas pipeline project "at the behest of the US and in consideration of the Hyde Act". |
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