05-19-2008, 07:09 AM
<b>UPA ready for faceoff on N-deal </b>
By Harish Gupta
<b>It is now becoming obvious that the UPA government will go ahead with its pre-determined plan to pursue the Indo-US nuclear deal.</b> A confrontation with the Left parties is on the cards. A meeting of the coordination committee, slated for May 28, is going to be stormy. <b>Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has asked external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee to make it clear to the Left that procedures and formalities of the deal cannot be brought to a halt now.</b> The deal may not be operationalised, but the process cannot be delayed either.
Sources in the PMO said any attempt by the Left to block the India-specific safeguards to be signed with the IAEA would not be acceptable. They added that it has been conveyed individually to the Left leaders.
The Karnataka election results, either way, would help the government go ahead with the deal. If the Congress wins, the PMâs confidence would get a boost and he would be prepared to take on the NDA and other adversaries better. Even if the Congress loses, Dr Singh would still go ahead to prove his mettle. After ex-President Kalam lent his support to the nuclear deal, the government hopes more individuals and parties will fall in line.
Expecting a confrontation, defence minister A.K. Antony has decided to cut short his Germany trip. He is understood to have asked the protocol division of the ministry to reschedule his trip to May 26. He will attend the inauguration of an air show there and take a special flight home on May 27 to be able to reach Delhi by May 28. <b>Some top industrial houses too are mobilising support for the deal silently.</b>