Oilgate: Left trains guns on BJP

The Left parties today demanded that "certain oil contracts" which find mention in the Volcker report and were executed during the NDA regime, should also be included within the purview of the RS Pathak inquiry authority.

The move appears to be a subtle ploy to offset the strategy of the Opposition NDA, which seemed set to create a storm in Parliament on the Volcker report to embarrass the UPA government.

The demand from the Left parties came after an hour-long discussion among their leaders who met here Friday morning to finalise the strategy for the forthcoming winter session of Parliament.

CPI (M) general secretary Prakash Karat, however, refused to specify the oil contracts or name any company that the Left parties wanted to be probed by Pathak. These parties will raise this demand in the UPA-Left coordination committee meeting here on Monday.

Sending out a strong signal to the government on the contentious Iran nuclear issue, the Left parties said that they would think about future course of action vis-a-vis UPA coalition after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) meeting next week.

"We are interested in knowing what stance the government of India will take at the IAEA meeting," said Karat.

Apart from him, those who attended Friday's meeting included CPI general secretary AB Bardhan and secretary D Raja, CPI (M) Politburo member SR Pillai and RSP's Abani Roy.

Karat's remarks also set the tone for Monday's coordination committee meeting in which, the Left is sure to seek a categorical assurance from the government on the latter's stance in Vienna. They have sent a notice for short duration discussion on Iran in Parliament.

Public posturing apart, the Left parties as also the government are learnt to be looking for a face-saving formula on the contentious Iran issue.

According to Left sources, however dear this issue is to them, it is not worth destabilising the government and ensure the return of the BJP to power. The government too cannot afford to simply ignore the Left parties, which are not shy of courting other parties and indulge muscle-flexing exercise.

The government and the Left seem to be pinning their hopes on "the US Track II diplomacy. The US cannot go against Iran beyond a point, given the geo-political compulsions as also the problems back home. The US is also looking for a compromise on this issue, which suits both the UPA government and the Left parties here," said a senior Left leader.