Congress set to avoid early poll, save N-deal with US
Saturday, 5 July 2008
NEW DELHI, July 04 (Agencies): Facing the likely withdrawal of left allies, the government moved closer Friday to clinching political support it needs to avoid early elections and to force through a nuclear energy deal with the US.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his senior officials spent the day meeting with leaders of a key regional party, who gave their strongest hint yet they will back the Congress party-led ruling coalition in parliament if the communists walk away.
The Samajwadi Party (SP), a key regional party from Uttar Pradesh, has a history of pragmatic alliances with national parties and would be burying years of bitter relations with Congress if it comes to the rescue.
"The prime minister's clarifications on the nuclear deal are quite satisfactory," SP General Secretary Amar Singh told reporters after meeting the prime minister.
Singh's Congress party is scrambling to save the 2005 accord after its communist allies threatened to withdraw support from the ruling alliance, risking an early election.
Singh wants to secure backing for the deal that seeks to end three decades of nuclear isolation before he meets U.S. President George W. Bush, the co-architect of the agreement, in Japan next week.
``Manmohan Singh wants to leave his mark in the history of India in terms of foreign policy,'' said Mahesh Rangarajan, a New Delhi-based independent political analyst. ``The Congress is also buying time to avert an early election as it would be disastrous for them to go to polls in the face of spiraling inflation.''
Some coalition partners have urged the Congress party not to alienate the communists as they are reluctant to go to the polls when India's inflation is at a 13-year high. The term of the government ends in May.
July 7 Deadline
The communist parties set a deadline today of July 7 for the government to clarify its negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency or they will start a protest campaign. Singh is scheduled to fly to Japan on that day to meet Bush at the Group of Eight summit.
The government has enough support and will succeed in taking the deal to the IAEA, NDTV news channel reported, citing Indian Congress Party leader Veerappa Moily.
The rift between the government and the Marxist parties widened last month after the government showed its commitment to push forward the stalled accord. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) said the deal had become an ``obsession'' for Singh.
The communist parties have been opposed to the accord on the grounds that it will weaken the nation's ability to follow an independent foreign policy and compromise the country's scientific capability.
India needs the 2005 accord to import U.S. technology and fuel without joining the 1970 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Failure will derail $14 billion of orders for reactors from suppliers including General Electric Co. and Westinghouse Electric Co. and hamper India's plans to increase nuclear generation almost 10-fold to end blackouts.
Still, even if Singh's administration survives, the accord needs to be endorsed by the IAEA and the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group and sent to the U.S. Congress for approval before the November presidential election.
``I would describe the current situation as an obsession that has brought about this current political crisis,'' said Brahma Chellaney, an analyst at the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi. ``I don't think the Prime Minister will come out strongly from this political drama as no one knows if the deal will actually succeed in going through the U.S. Congress.''
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his senior officials spent the day meeting with leaders of a key regional party, who gave their strongest hint yet they will back the Congress party-led ruling coalition in parliament if the communists walk away.
The Samajwadi Party (SP), a key regional party from Uttar Pradesh, has a history of pragmatic alliances with national parties and would be burying years of bitter relations with Congress if it comes to the rescue.
"The prime minister's clarifications on the nuclear deal are quite satisfactory," SP General Secretary Amar Singh told reporters after meeting the prime minister.
Singh's Congress party is scrambling to save the 2005 accord after its communist allies threatened to withdraw support from the ruling alliance, risking an early election.
Singh wants to secure backing for the deal that seeks to end three decades of nuclear isolation before he meets U.S. President George W. Bush, the co-architect of the agreement, in Japan next week.
``Manmohan Singh wants to leave his mark in the history of India in terms of foreign policy,'' said Mahesh Rangarajan, a New Delhi-based independent political analyst. ``The Congress is also buying time to avert an early election as it would be disastrous for them to go to polls in the face of spiraling inflation.''
Some coalition partners have urged the Congress party not to alienate the communists as they are reluctant to go to the polls when India's inflation is at a 13-year high. The term of the government ends in May.
July 7 Deadline
The communist parties set a deadline today of July 7 for the government to clarify its negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency or they will start a protest campaign. Singh is scheduled to fly to Japan on that day to meet Bush at the Group of Eight summit.
The government has enough support and will succeed in taking the deal to the IAEA, NDTV news channel reported, citing Indian Congress Party leader Veerappa Moily.
The rift between the government and the Marxist parties widened last month after the government showed its commitment to push forward the stalled accord. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) said the deal had become an ``obsession'' for Singh.
The communist parties have been opposed to the accord on the grounds that it will weaken the nation's ability to follow an independent foreign policy and compromise the country's scientific capability.
India needs the 2005 accord to import U.S. technology and fuel without joining the 1970 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Failure will derail $14 billion of orders for reactors from suppliers including General Electric Co. and Westinghouse Electric Co. and hamper India's plans to increase nuclear generation almost 10-fold to end blackouts.
Still, even if Singh's administration survives, the accord needs to be endorsed by the IAEA and the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group and sent to the U.S. Congress for approval before the November presidential election.
``I would describe the current situation as an obsession that has brought about this current political crisis,'' said Brahma Chellaney, an analyst at the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi. ``I don't think the Prime Minister will come out strongly from this political drama as no one knows if the deal will actually succeed in going through the U.S. Congress.''