N-deal: Left puts onus of ties on Cong

Taking up the challenge thrown by the prime minister over its opposition to the Indo-US nuclear deal, the CPI(M) today said the onus of running the coalition was on the Congress. The prime minister, ruling out any renegotiation of the deal, had said the Left was free to withdraw support on the issue.

Asserting that there was no going back on the Left's opposition to the deal, CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat said, "You should ask the Congress leaders whether they want to run the government."

Debunking the prime minister's later statement that the row could be amicably resolved, the CPI said the differences "cannot be reconciled" and they would take their "own good time" to decide on the issue of support to the government.

"The entire issue of support or redefining the support is a political issue. We will discuss it. We will do it at our own good time and not because of somebody's prodding or provocation," said CPI General Secretary AB Bardhan.

Meanwhile, the government and the Left parties are likely to meet tomorrow ahead of the debate on the 123 Agreement in Parliament. Highly placed sources in the Left indicated the two sides might discuss their respective positions beforehand to avoid too much tension on the floor of the House.

The prime minister called up CPI(M) Politburo member Sitaram Yechury to wish him on his birthday. During the brief talk, the possibility of a meeting between the government brass and the Left leaders was discussed, said CPI(M) sources. Yechury reassured the Congress leadership that the Left parties were in no mood to pull down the government but had serious differences on the issue, sources said.

Last night, at the President's House, the prime minister offered to talk to the Left leadership. External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, a key architect of the Indo-US deal, also said the government was ready to talk to the Left any time.

"We are hopeful about sorting out the differences with the Left and discussions can take place at any point of time," Mukherjee said at a function in West Bengal.

Pointing out that the UPA was formed by the secular parties to prevent communal forces from coming to power, Mukherjee said, "We (the Congress and the Left) did have our differences in the past. But all these could be sorted out."

The Left parties have rejected the nuclear deal with the US and asked the government not to go ahead with operationalising it.

The prime minister will tomorrow make a suo moto statement on the 123 Agreement.

A heated debate is expected to follow on August 14 and 16.

Former prime minister VP Singh also raised his voice against the deal, demanding that Singh step down if he was unable to renegotiate the deal. He also asked the Left to reconsider its support to the government. They should not support a government which was not working in nation's interest, he said.