Nuclear deal not off, says Congress
In a fresh twist to the nuke drama, the Congress said the deal was not off. “If the deal was off, the October 22 meeting would have been cancelled," they said.
Treading cautiously, Left parties say they will wait for the meeting with the UPA on October 22
NEW DELHI: In a fresh twist to the Indo-US nuclear drama, the Congress on Monday said the deal was not off. “If the deal was off, the October 22 meeting would have been cancelled," said Congress spokesperson Shakil Ahmed.
The Left parties, which believe the deal is dead for all practical purposes in view of the time constraint, refused to comment, saying they would wait for the 15-member UPA-Left nuclear committee meeting on October 22 when the government is expected to officially inform them about the fate of the deal.
CPI general secretary AB Bardhan said: “We never said the deal is off. It is the media that has been saying so. We are waiting for the October 22 meeting for the government's official position. They (the government) have not said anything to us that indicates scrapping of the deal.”
CPI(M) leader Nilotpal Basu said his party would react after the meeting. “We will wait till October 22,” he said."
Left sources said both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi did not ever say the deal was off. While the PM said the deal was good for India and expressed hoped that better sense would prevail, Gandhi talked about building consensus.
A senior Left leader, however, said the government had decided to put the deal on hold and the Congress was trying to “put up a brave front: by saying that the agreement was still on.
The comrades are not sitting idle either. On October 18, both Bardhan and CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat, along with former Prime Minister VP Singh, are addressing an anti-nuke convention in Mumbai.
Sources said Bardhan had called up RJD chief and railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, who is in Bihar, and advised him not to take the Congress assurance at face value and keep up the pressure on the government.
A Congress spokesperson said the Left is an ally of the Congress and “efforts are on to remove their apprehensions” (on the deal). On whether Congress president Sonia Gandhi had made a U-turn on the deal, he countered: “Where is the U-turn? The party’s stand is what Gandhi and Manmohan Singh have said in New Delhi recently,” he said.
He said the views of all UPA allies would be taken into account to arrive at a final decision.
“The allies were consulted and will be consulted in future as well. Their views are respected,” he said.
NEW DELHI: In a fresh twist to the Indo-US nuclear drama, the Congress on Monday said the deal was not off. “If the deal was off, the October 22 meeting would have been cancelled," said Congress spokesperson Shakil Ahmed.
The Left parties, which believe the deal is dead for all practical purposes in view of the time constraint, refused to comment, saying they would wait for the 15-member UPA-Left nuclear committee meeting on October 22 when the government is expected to officially inform them about the fate of the deal.
CPI general secretary AB Bardhan said: “We never said the deal is off. It is the media that has been saying so. We are waiting for the October 22 meeting for the government's official position. They (the government) have not said anything to us that indicates scrapping of the deal.”
CPI(M) leader Nilotpal Basu said his party would react after the meeting. “We will wait till October 22,” he said."
Left sources said both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi did not ever say the deal was off. While the PM said the deal was good for India and expressed hoped that better sense would prevail, Gandhi talked about building consensus.
A senior Left leader, however, said the government had decided to put the deal on hold and the Congress was trying to “put up a brave front: by saying that the agreement was still on.
The comrades are not sitting idle either. On October 18, both Bardhan and CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat, along with former Prime Minister VP Singh, are addressing an anti-nuke convention in Mumbai.
Sources said Bardhan had called up RJD chief and railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, who is in Bihar, and advised him not to take the Congress assurance at face value and keep up the pressure on the government.
A Congress spokesperson said the Left is an ally of the Congress and “efforts are on to remove their apprehensions” (on the deal). On whether Congress president Sonia Gandhi had made a U-turn on the deal, he countered: “Where is the U-turn? The party’s stand is what Gandhi and Manmohan Singh have said in New Delhi recently,” he said.
He said the views of all UPA allies would be taken into account to arrive at a final decision.
“The allies were consulted and will be consulted in future as well. Their views are respected,” he said.