It is official now. As the double digit inflation is, so is the ‘Ultimatum’ from CPI(M) Secretary Prakash Karat. He has given the Central Government time up to 25th June to abandon the nuclear deal or else CPI(M) would (along with its left partners) break ties with UPA government. This means if there is at all a UPA- Left meet on 25th June, it has to be only to back out from the Nuclear Deal. The CPI(M) and its left allies have 60 MPs in the Lower House of the Parliament and a pull out means the fall of government literally.
Speaking to the media persons in New Delhi on June’20, Mr.Karat further made it clear that in the event of ‘pull out’, it would not allow the minority government to go ahead with the deal or secure support from other parties. CPI(M) is well aware of the move of the Congress to garner support from other parties outside the UPA alliance, particularly the Samajwadi Party(SP).
Congress appears to have informally sounded SP-who have 38 MPs- on the nuclear deal. A spokesman of SP hinted, “we are not against the US nor against nuclear energy and if need be, we would support them.” Sahid Siddique of SP today set pre-conditions that the deal should be ratified by the parliament and full text of the safe guards agreement with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) be revealed.
The Centre however says that the text of agreement with IAEA cannot be disclosed to parties that are not in the Government. Congress sources said that the government might take the sense of parliament to isolate the ‘Left’. However the key to success is SP. Congress is also sounding the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)- who also has a chunk of MPs – on the issue. However one thing is clear; fall of government is the last thing that Congress can afford at this juncture.
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