Mr. Manmohan Singh has made it a personal issue. His authority, executive power and the prestige- all are in doldrums over Nuclear Deal. He wants the nuclear deal at all costs-even at the cost of the Government- inflation can await!
It is at this point that the leftists led by the CPI(M) has started asserting themselves. CPI(M)’s lobbying with partners of UPA like, RJD, NC, LJP, IUML etc has paid off ultimately. All of these partners have conveyed that they would take Leftists along with, in finalizing the nuclear issue. Even Mulayam Singh and Amar Singh have sided with the left by saying that their poison is not different from the left. After Mayawati, The Indian Union Muslim League too, which is also a partner of UPA, has threatened to withdraw if the Nuclear deal is pushed ahead.
In fact, the left has been successful in isolating the Prime Minister so much so that he is not coming out of the comfort of his residence for the last four days after a mild surgery. No direct statement is available from him either.
Gauging the confrontational mood of the Prime Minster and the Left, Congress Chairperson Sonia Gandhi has sprung into action. In a one to one meet on 23rd June’08, she had talked to Lalu Prasad Yadav, Sharad Pawer, Rambilas Paswan and T.R.Balu over the issue.
After the meet, Lalu Prasad summarized in one sentence, ‘this is not the time to face the election”. Paswan was not in favour of leaving the leftists and hoped the problem would be over. Power believed that the problem would be over with the intervention of Madam Sonia and the government is staying.
The spirit of various UPA partners are clear. ‘This is the time to handle inflation and cool down the prices and not to waste time for N-Deal, which may wait. Further going to polls (taken that the withdrawal would lead to fall of Government) over N-Deal without addressing the price issue would spell disaster and would pave the way for return of Communal forces like BJP.’
However political circles in Delhi is of the opinion that the stalemate can break in september, when the government on its own, may go with the nuke-deal and in the event if the government falls, elections could be held in February’09- early by only three months- giving enough time to handle inflation. Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee is said to be working on this line.