Jun 30, 2008, 11:24 GMT
New Delhi - Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday played down the threat by a key left-wing ally to withdraw support and said his government would go ahead with its civilian nuclear agreement with the United States, news reports said.
The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) had warned Singh's minority government Sunday that it would withdraw its support in parliament in concert with other left parties if Singh went ahead with the 'harmful agreement, which has no majority support in parliament.'
Under the civilian nuclear agreement, the US has promised to provide India with access to nuclear technology and fuel in exchange for international safeguards on India's civilian nuclear reactors. Singh maintains the deal would help India meet its ever-increasing energy needs.
The 59 lawmakers of the left parties, led by the CPI-M, provide crucial support to Singh's minority United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.
India's main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party has said it would pass a no-confidence motion against the government if the left parties withdrew support.
This could lead to a snap election. The UPA government is due to end its five-year term in May 2009.
The renewed threat by the left comes at a time when Singh's government is grappling with spiralling inflation and rising prices of essential food items which would certainly have an adverse impact on its electoral prospects.
'The politburo reiterates its firm opposition to the 123 Agreement which does not provide for full civilian cooperation; does not meet the needs of energy security and which will severely undermine the country's independent foreign policy and strategic autonomy by cementing a strategic alliance with the US,' CPI-M general secretary Prakash Karat said at a press briefing on Sunday.
Singh, in an informal interaction with reporters on Monday, said his government intended to go ahead with negotiations on the deal, PTI and IANS news agencies reported.
Playing down the left threat, he said he wanted the authority to go through all stages of negotiations and once these were over the government would approach parliament before making the agreement operational.
Singh also expressed the hope that he could work out an 'arrangement' with all the parties concerned, including the left parties, but analysts say this is unlikely to happen.
The UPA government has to reach a India-specific safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and negotiate with the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) to change its rules before it can finalize the deal with the US.
It looks unlikely that this would be achieved before the end of the term of US President George W Bush, though UPA leaders are hopeful.
'If we have to get the deal approved by the US Congress, we have to get the IAEA final nod by the first half of July,' IANS quoted an unnamed minister in Singh's government as saying.
He said the government had to get the India-specific safeguards agreement approved by IAEA board of governors by the first half of July and the consent of the NSG by August-September.
He said a special session of the US Congress scheduled to meet in October could pass the so-called 123 agreement if this time-frame could be maintained.
There are a series of crucial meetings scheduled for the week by various political parties and another round of talks between the left parties and the government on Saturday before Singh leaves to attend the G8 Summit in Japan on Monday.
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