The stalemate between the government and Left parties showed no signs of resolution on Saturday as the Communist Party of India-Marxist maintained its hardline on the nuclear agreement with the United States and the United Progressive Alliance coalition suffered another jolt when the Bahujan Samaj Party withdrew its support to it.
Government's chief negotiator on the deal, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who leaves for Australia on Saturday night, met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday morning and apprised him of his discussions with the Left parties and UPA constituents on the stand-off.
Hectic activities are expected to resume when Mukherjee returns from his visit on June 24, a day ahead of the next crucial meeting of the UPA-Left Committee on nuclear deal.
Delay will make nuclear deal difficult: US
Compared to the frenetic pace of consultations between government, UPA constituents and Left parties in the last two days, there was lull on Saturday.
Nationalist Congress Party spokesperson D P Tripati called on CPM general secretary Prakash Karat in New Delhi while his party boss Sharad Pawar said in Pune that Left parties do not want to push the UPA government over the brink.
Pawar said there are signs of finding a way out of the current impasse over the contentious Indo-US nuclear deal.
However, the CPI-M issued a strong statement accusing the government of mounting a 'massive disinformation campaign' to promote a 'bad' nuclear deal, which it said, was only a cover to promote strategic ties with the US.
"Mythical energy claims are being made in order to promote a bad nuclear deal. Energy is just a cover. The real intent is India-US strategic ties," it said.
The party also accused the government of 'dragging its feet' on the Iran gas pipeline project 'at the behest of the US and in consideration of the Hyde Act'.
What the IAEA agreement gives India
Amid the nuclear deal stand off with the Left, UP Chief Minister Mayawati carried out her oft-repeated warnings of withdrawing the support of BSP accusing the UPA government of 'neglect, step-motherly treatment and negative approach' towards her state and on the issue of runaway inflation.
The withdrawal of support by BSP, which has 17 MPs in Lok Sabha, does not really threaten the existence of the UPA government as such.
But, if 59-MP-strong Left parties choose to withdraw support, then the BSP decision could put pressure on the UPA to look for support from other sources like BSP's rival SP which has 39 MPs. In a House with an effective strength of 543, the UPA enjoys support of 237 members and is 35 short of simple majority.
PM wants to quit over nuclear deal
Meanwhile, Union Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi expressed confidence the deal would go through the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Nuclear Suppliers' Group stages and be given to the American Congress by this year's end.
"Well, I do so. The way things are moving, it may so happen," Dasmunsi said.
Asked if the government was committed to completing the deal while George W Bush was still the US President, Dasmunsi said, "That point I can't answer, but I can tell you whatever PM committed, whatever PM promised with the whole concurrence of the Cabinet, we are not letting down our PM till the last day of the tenure."
"We are not letting our PM down," he said, when asked if the government would defy the Left and go ahead with the deal.
Dasmunsi also said Congress president Sonia Gandhi was as committed to the deal as the prime minister.
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