Communist Party of India Marxist General Secretary Prakash Karat on Wednesday met External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee in an effort to break the logjam over the India-United States nuclear agreement.Karat went to Mukherjee's residence early in the morning to hold discussions on the issue that has created a stand-off between the government and the Left allies.The meeting assumes significance as it comes hours ahead of the crucial UPA-Left committee meeting.
The Left parties have steadfastly opposed the 123 agreement for civilian nuclear cooperation with the United States. The United Progressive Alliance-Left Committee on Indo-US civil nuclear cooperation was constituted to discuss the problems arising out of the provisions of the Hyde Act and its impact on the 123 agreement.
The UPA-Left Committee on the Indo-US nuclear deal would meet in New Delhi on Tuesday with the Left parties sticking to their guns and the government saying it would seek the sense of Parliament on the matter. The Government has said it would seek 'sense of the House' on the stalled deal before it goes to the US Congress for ratification.
CP!-M general secretary Prakash Karat has written to External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, government's key interlocutor with the allies on the deal, asking for immediate convening of a meeting of the UPA-Left committee on the nuclear deal by mid-March.
The crucial meeting of the United Progressive Alliance-Left Committee on the Indo-US nuclear deal scheduled for November 16 stands postponed.
The United Progressive Alliance-Left panel meeting on Indo-US nuclear deal was concluded on Monday evening with the decision to meet again on November 16.
The Communist Party of India-Marxist on Wednesday accused the UPA government of accepting the "diktats" of the Bush administration of which the nuclear agreement "was a part."
The note covers various aspects of the issue, including the Left's fear that the deal will not cover the entire nuclear fuel cycle and deny access to specific technologies.
The supporting parties bluntly rejected Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's suggestion that India should not miss the bus of nuclear renaissance as they insisted that "the destination of the bus will be the stranglehold of the United States."
The government is working for the success of the Indo-US nuclear deal mechanism to address the concerns raised by the Left parties, Minister for External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee said on Saturday.
Ahead of the meeting of the UPA-Left Committee on nuclear issues on Tuesday, the CPM on Monday made it clear that it would not allow the government to proceed on the Indo-US nuclear deal.
The United Progressive Alliance-Left committee on the Indo-US nuclear deal will meet in New Delhi on March 17 in the face of an ultimatum by the government's Communist allies to make its stand clear on the controversial agreement. The government is likely to present the draft of the India-specific Safeguards Agreement reached with the IAEA at the meeting, which comes at a time when there is a further strain in UPA-Left ties.
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