SP finally backs nuclear deal, says it is in national interest

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Ending the anxious wait for the UPA government, the Samajwadi Party on Friday publicly gave its backing to the Indo-US nuclear deal saying ‘‘it is in nation’s interest’’, in the process signalling the formation of new equations and alliances with the Congress for the coming Lok Sabha polls.

The endorsement for the nuclear deal came after a meeting that SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav and party general secretary Amar Singh had with Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to draw up the contours of the tie-up. It remains to be seen, however, what price the SP will extract from the UPA for supporting the deal and whether they will be joining the government as part of the arrangement.

After their 30-minute meeting with the Prime Minister, Yadav and Amar Singh appeared convinced that the nuclear deal is in the interest of the country and said they would try to convince other UNPA constituents on the issue.

The result of the two parties coming together was almost instantaneous with a bolstered Congress quickly dismissing a July seven deadline set by the Left parties to seek clarifications on the nuclear deal, saying sovereign governments or political parties cannot be bound by ultimatums.

Though the SP did not formally said that it will support the UPA government on the issue, the Congress spent no time to welcome the SP to its board. The SP leaders said former President A P J Abdul Kalam had yesterday elaborately explained to them the benefits of the deal and allayed fears about the national sovereignty or foreign policy being compromised. ‘‘We have been opposing it (nuclear deal) as we did not have any new details. But now these new details have come,’’ Yadav told reporters. Asked whether they were satisfied with the clarifications given by the PMO in a statement two days back, Yadav said ‘‘the entire nation would be satisfied.’’

‘‘There were no formal or informal talks with anyone in the government on this issue. Nobody in the government talked to us. We formed a position on the nuclear deal on the basis of details given by CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat and media reports,’’ Singh said.