Shortly after the Left rejecting the Indo-US nuclear deal, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Congress have made it clear to them that the pact will not be re-negotiated as the Cabinet has already approved it.
Singh conveyed the government?s willingness to address the concerns of the Left parties when he spoke to CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat and CPI leaders AB Bardhan and D Raja on Tuesday night.
The Left parties, meanwhile, have decided to continue pressing against the UPA government?s ?pro-US? tilt. The Left leaders told the Prime Minister their ?inability? to support the nuclear deal and presented their arguments before him.
Sources in the CPI(M) told FE that the Prime Minister?s contention that the Cabinet has already approved the deal and going back is not possible was faced with a stern reply, ?We know the facts.? ?The Prime Minister also eagerly asked us whether Left parties? meeting reviewed the relationship with the UPA government. We told him that we will do it in September,? a senior Left leader said.
The leader also said that the decision by Prakash Karat and AB Bardhan to hit the street on September 4 to protest the quadrilateral military exercise is a warning strong enough for the government. The Left will prepare a report on the performance of UPA government in the second week of September.
Meanwhile, in a bid to score some brownie points against the Left parties, the main Opposition BJP on Wednesday claimed that the Left?s stand on the nuclear deal is hollow till they act in Parliament and vote against it. ?Their credibility is on test, they need to confirm their words with deeds,? BJP spokesperson Prakash Javedkar said.