PM’s remark set the cat among the pigeons : Efforts on to defuse crisis,Indian Politics, News Analysis, India News Online

The Left parties have reacted sharply to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s remark in an interview with a Kolkata newspaper, The Telegraph, published on Saturday, August 11, that he had told the leaders of the Left parties that if they wanted to withdraw support to his government (over the Indo-US nuclear deal), they could do whatever they want to do.

The Telegraph interview is being seen as a clear signal from the Prime Minister to the Left parties that he would not concede any more space on the nuclear issue and even broader foreign and strategic policy matters. The Left is all the more shocked by the statement as for more than three years, it has got used to the Congress retracing its stand on major issues in deference to the Left’s wishes. The Left parties had got used to virtually exercising a veto on most policy matters. Even in the gover¬nment’s day to day functioning, the Left made its wishes known and had them carried out.

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Learn to work with us : PM tells the Left

The Prime Minister was forthright in his views in The Tele¬graph interview that the Indo-US nuclear deal could not be re-negotiated or abandoned as desired by the Left. There was no ambiguity in his remarks.

The Prime Minister said: “I told them that it is not possi¬ble to renegotiate the deal. It is an honourable deal, the cabi¬net has approved it, we cannot go back on it. I told them to do whatever they want to do, if they want to withdraw support, so be it....”

He was referring to his conversation with CPI(M)’s Prakash Karat and CPI’s A.B. Bardhan on August 7 night, hours after the Left released a statement rejecting the nuclear deal.

In a frank conversation, the Prime Minister said he was “not angry but anguished” at the harsh tone and tenor of the Left’s reaction and made it clear that the UPA-Left relationship could not be a one-sided affair.

Replying to a question, he said: “I don’t get angry, I don’t want to use harsh words. They are our colleagues and we have to work with them. But they also have to learn to work with us.”

Observers say those last 10 words had a hint of steel which underlined the Prime Minister’s new resolve to take on the Left.

In the course of the interview, the Prime Minister made it clear that the Left had a flawed understanding not just of the 123 Agreement but also of India’s intrinsic strength and its enhanced status in the world.

On the nuclear deal itself, he said: “It is an honourable deal which enlarges India’s development options, particularly in regard to energy security and environmental protection, and it doesn’t in any way affect our ability to pursue our nuclear weapons programme. We have not surrendered an iota of our freedom in this regard; not an iota of our sovereignty.”

Asked why then was the Left objecting to the deal, the Prime Minister said: “I don’t know... (but) they seem to have a problem with the United States.” Elaborating on his own stand, Singh added: “I want India’s relations to improve with all powers and we have been doing that - with the US, with Russia, with the EU, with France, and particularly with China. We have had a break¬through with China, a historic agreement where we have defined the principles that will outline the border agreement....”

On the Left’s fears that the 123 Agreement would draw India further into a strategic alliance with the US, rendering it an American satellite, Singh said: “How can we ever become anyone’s satellite? Yes, we live in an increasingly interdependent world but the challenge before us is to forge new linkages, widen our strategic options and, at the same time, guard against the nega¬tive side of the process of globalisation.”

China, he pointed out, had a huge trade surplus with the US but was not worried about losing its independence. “Look at Vietnam, look at China (the way they are engaging with America) - out of fear of dealing with the US, we cannot become a frog in the well,” Singh said.

If the Prime Minister was “anguished” at the Left’s obvious lack of trust in him to do right by the country, he appeared equally dismayed at their low levels of confidence in the nation. “India, with a billion people and with such a diversity of lan¬guages and cultures and religions, with its functioning democracy and respect for rule of law is a unique country; we are a role model for the world.”

By railing against the nuclear deal, the Left was “underes¬timating the intrinsic strength of India, of India’s capacity to defend its national interests”, he felt.

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Damage control exercise on

With the Left reacting sharply and saying that the Indo-US nuclear deal was not acceptable to the majority in Parliament, the Congress leaders have launched a damage control exercise to mend fences with the Left, as far as possible. On Saturday, August 11 itself, Dr. Manmohan Singh asserted that there was no danger to the Government. Both the Prime Minister and UPA chair¬person Sonia Gandhi, who were interacting with media persons on the sidelines of the swearing in of Mohd. Hamid Ansari as Vice President, ruled out any possibility of a mid-term poll.

After the swearing-in of the Vice-President at the Rashtra¬pati Bhavan, the Prime Minister told mediapersons: “We stand by our commitments given in Parliament [on the deal]. There is no danger to the Government. All problems will be resolved.” Asked then whether there was going to be mid-term elections, he coun¬tered: “Why are you saying so ?”

At the same venue and in response to a similar question, Congress president Sonia Gandhi was categorical in her answer: “No, no, no.”

Observers say Sonia Gandhi’s observation seemed to reflect the Congress concern that Dr. Singh’s remarks to the newspaper - which were highlighted by TV channels, should not be allowed to get out of hand.

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said there was no problem with the Left and that both sides would be holding dis¬cussions soon.

Nuclear deal not acceptable to a majority in Parliament : CPI(M)

Reacting to the Prime Minister’s remarks in The Telegraph interview, CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat said on August 11 that the Left parities will not accept the nuclear deal and the Prime Minister and his Government must realise that the agreement was not acceptable to the majority in Parliament.

Karat, who is now in Kerala, issued a statement ignoring the “dare” but stating categorically: “As far as the approach to the government is concerned, we will take our own counsel.” He did not rule out any option in the statement. The Left parties have all reacted sharply to the Prime Minister’s comments, with the responses ranging from “if he wants us to withdraw support, why does he just not resign first”; to CPI leader D. Raja’s remark: “It is not for the Prime Minister to tell us what to do, we will decide what we want to do.”

Without appearing to do so, Karat, in his statement, has virtually given a point-by-point rebuttal of Dr Singh’s remarks in the interview. The Prime Minister said that the deal was honourable. Karat pointed out that the Left parties had been consistently expressing their opposition to the July 2005 state¬ment with the United States, which includes the nuclear coopera¬tion agreement. He said that after the Hyde Act was adopted by the US Congress containing “unacceptable conditions”, the CPI(M) had asked the government not to proceed with the negotiations for the bilateral 123 agreement.

Dr Singh said he did not know why the Left was opposing the deal: “...they seem to have a problem with the United States.” The CPI(M) general secretary said: “We do not share the optimism that India can become a `great power with the help of the United States’. India is a country endowed with sufficient resources and self-confidence to carve out its own path of development.”

The statement pointed out that the agreement was not accept¬able to the majority in Parliament. It said that the Left par¬ties, keeping all options open, will take their own counsel in determining the approach to the government.

The final Left strategy for Parliament will be decided today, August 13, after Karat returns from Kerala. The Prime Minister will make a suo moto statement in Parliament as well.

Left joins BJP, Third Front in opposing the Nuclear deal

The fast paced political developments on the nuclear deal began last week with the Left parties virtually joining the BJP and the Third Front in opposing the civilian nuclear deal with the United States. After four days of studying the text of the agreement, and after holding discussions with nuclear scientists, the Left parties on Tuesday, August 7, rejected the deal and asked the Government not to operationalise it. At their meeting in New Delhi the four Left parties said they view the pact as an integral part of what they described as a “burgeoning strategic alliance with the United States.” The Left parties issued a statement running into five pages giving their arguments against the deal and conveying their decision to mobilise people against growing Indo-US military cooperation.

While the Left joined the BJP and the Third Front in reject¬ing the deal, a senior Left leader said it will not join hands with the BJP to destabilise the Government on the question. As part of the move to mobilise the people against the Indo-US strategic alliance, the Left leaders announced a plan to organise two marches, one each from Chennai and Kolkata, on Sept. 4. The rallies will converge at Vishkhapatnam on Sept. 9 coinciding with the joint military exercise being held on the eastern coast, which the Left has vehemently criticised.

Observers say a major part of the Left’s critique of the nuclear deal is that it cannot and should not be seen as “a separate and compartmentalised entity without considering its implications for India’s independent foreign policy, strategic autonomy and the repercussions of the US quest to make India its reliable ally in Asia”.

More than the concerns on the nuclear future, the statement reflects the Left’s deep, almost visceral, antipathy towards the US and its firm conviction that India’s interests do not lie in getting closer to the world’s sole superpower.

Facing virtual isolation on the nuclear deal, the Prime Minister rang up CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat and CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan and made it clear that the 123 agreement would not be renegotiated and the government will operationalise the civilian nuclear agreement with the United States. He said the deal had been approved by the Cabinet and that there was no question of renegotiating it. At the same time. Dr. Manmohan Singh sought to assuage the Left’s concerns expressing the Gov¬ernment willingness to address them.

The Left’s response to the Prime Minister’s overture was to say that the Congress will have to pay a political price for the deal. Speaking after a dinner hosted by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on August 8, CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat did not spell out what he meant by “political price.”

Left sources said there was no threat implied in the re¬marks, but that the Congress would have to pay a price in terms of its support among those who do not approve of the deal. There were also indications from the Left that it will not press for a vote on the 123 agreement in Parliament.

Do not take warnings lightly : Left

On Friday, August 10, the Left parties stepped up the rhe¬toric against the nuclear deal warning the UPA of serious politi¬cal consequences if it ignored the wide opposition to the 123 agreement. CPI leader D. Raja, addressing a news conference in New Delhi, said that if the Government did not take steps to address the Left parties’ concerns, the political consequences would be serious, not only for the Government, but also for the country. Another CPI leader, Gurudas Dasgupta and CPI(M) leaders Basudev Acharya, Mohd. Salim and Roop Chand Paul also addressed the news conference.

Dasgupta said that it was a national tragedy that the Gov¬ernment that enjoyed the Left support was going in the direction of a strong partnership with imperialist United States not just on economic, but also on strategic cooperation.

Left will walk out if there is voting : Jyoti Basu

Relief for the Government came the same day when veteran CPI(M) leader Jyoti Basu said in Kolkata : “We are critical of the nuclear deal, but will walk out in the event of a vote on it.” He said the Left parties oppose the nuclear deal and have spoken to Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Jyoti Basu said party leaders in Delhi have also met the Prime Minister who is saying that the agreement cannot be changed. They have sought a discus¬sion in Parliament and he is saying that he will explain things in Parliament.

Jyoti Basu said the deal would only benefit the US and not India.

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Discussion in Parliament this week

The Government is planning a discussion on the Indo-US nuclear deal in Parliament on August 14 and 16, after the Prime Minister’s statement on August 13. The Left parties as well as Opposition NDA and United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA) have rejected the 123 nuclear agreement. The NDA and the UNPA are pressing for voting on the issue in Parliament. Apart from the Prime Minister, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee would be the key speaker on the government side on the deal. He has cancelled his visit to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, this week for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting to be able to take part in the debate.

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BJP strategy

The BJP which has given a notice for a discussion on the India-US nuclear deal in the Lok Sabha under Rule 183, which entails voting at the end of the debate, is said to be in favour of a structured debate and not disruption of parliamentary pro¬ceedings. The party also wants to put the UPA Government on the mat on the Goa crisis and the flood situation.

The BJP in the past disrupted Parliament even when the Government expressed willingness for debates. Influential sec¬tions within the party now are convinced that this is not the way to go, particularly when it can make out a case against the Government and exacerbate tensions within the ruling alliance.

The BJP will seek a debate on the nuclear deal, with the intention of “exposing the double standards of the Left”. The party asked the Left to vote alongside it on the issue. “Left should withdraw support to the Government if they are really opposed to the 123 agreement. Otherwise, it is merely an attempt to fool the people,” said BJP spokesperson Prakash Javdekar.

The BJP, however, differentiates its opposition to the 123 agreement from the Left and the UNPA. “We do not support their arguments supporting Iran and blind anti-Americanism. We are for cordial relations with the US but are worried about the country’s nuclear sovereignty,” a senior leader said.

Left should show it can ‘bite’ : BJP

Surprised by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s challenge to the Left to withdraw support if it was serious about objections to the Indo-US nuclear agreement, the BJP asked the Left to show that it could ‘bite’ as well.

BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad, reacting to the Prime Minis¬ter’s interview, said: “The Left has been claiming that it cannot only bark but also bite. Prime Minister’s statement has given scope for biting.” He exhorted the Left to “bite” in the nation¬al interest.

Prasad, however, said the “sudden display of courage” by the Prime Minister was intriguing especially after his continued silence over the “murder of democracy” in Goa.

He said the ‘hypocrisy and double standards’ of the Left are well known since India’s independence struggle. Prasad said the BJP was sure the Left would not withdraw support to the Congress-led UPA at the Centre despite the Prime Minister daring them to take such a step.

The party, meanwhile, expressed the hope that Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee and newly elected Vice-President and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Hamid Ansari, would understand the serious consequences of the nuclear agreement and consider allow¬ing voting after debate on the issue in their respective Houses.

On its part, the United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA) will seek a discussion in Parliament on the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal under a rule that entails voting. This was decided at a meeting of the UNPA leaders held in New Delhi on Thursday, August 9.

At a separate press conference, Janata Dal (United) Presi¬dent Sharad Yadav opposed the nuclear agreement and said it was not in the national interest.

The UNPA said voting in Parliament on the deal would reveal the actual stand of political parties on the controversial 123 agreement. “In case there is division of votes, it will become clear where the Left parties stand,” said Indian National Lok Dal President Om Prakash Chautala at a joint press conference of the UNPA leaders.

Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav and leader of the Telugu Desam Party Chandrababu Naidu said they were opposed to the nuclear deal. They felt it was a challenge to India’s sovereignty and was against the non-aligned policy.

Naidu said the UNPA had decided to raise a number of issues in Parliament. The alliance leaders criticised the Central Gover¬nment’s inability to get vacated the stay on implementing the order for 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes in higher educational institutions.

Demanding the implementation of the recommendations of the Srikrishna Commission Report on Mumbai violence in 1992-93, the UNPA leaders said action was not being taken because the Congress wanted “to protect its own.”

They also sought restoration of the peace process in Assam.

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