08-04-2006, 08:06 PM
<!--emo&:argue--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/argue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='argue.gif' /><!--endemo--> Backing PM, Sonia snubs CPM: any resolution on nuclear deal unacceptable, will threaten UPA govt
MANINI CHATTERJEEPosted online: Friday, August 04, 2006 at 0000 hrs Print Email
NEW DELHI, AUGUST 3:Firmly backing Prime Minister Manmohan Singhâs opposition to any ââsense of the Houseââ parliamentary resolution on the Indo-US nuclear deal, Congress president Sonia Gandhi has made it clear to the CPM that any move to press for the resolution could threaten the future of the UPA government.
Sonia Gandhi, sources said, conveyed this message to CPM leader Sitaram Yechury at a meeting at her residence on Wednesday, the same day that Manmohan Singh told a CPI delegation that if the Left goes with the BJP on the n-deal issue, ââthat will be the end of the day (for the government.ââ
The CPM, which has been campaigning against what it calls ââshifting of the goalpostsââ on the nuclear deal and insisting that the ââopinion of Parliamentââ needs to be spelt out on the issue, was keen to enlist the support of the Congress party, sources said.
Yechury met Sonia to underline that the efforts towards a resolution were not aimed against the government and indeed no resolution or ââsense of the Houseââ statement would be effective if the Congress, the biggest party in the House, did not endorse it.
Sonia, sources said, did not fall for the bait. She made it clear that any moves to bind the governmentâs negotiating powers on the deal were unacceptable. It also smacked of an expression of ââno confidenceââ in the Prime Minister and the governmentâs commitment to Indiaâs national interests.
Between the lines, Sonia also conveyed that Manmohan Singh was indispensable to the government. In other words, any wishful thinking that he could be replaced by another prime minister should be given up. If he quit, the government would fall, leading to fresh elections.
Soniaâs message is considered significant not only in the context of the Indo-US nuclear deal but also in the larger ââgovernment versus partyââ sentiment that had erupted in the last few months.
The Left as well as ââleftistsââ within the Congress have often railed against what they label as the governmentâs ââanti-aam aadmiââ and ââpro-USââ policies, seeking to drive a wedge between the Congress and government, between Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh.
Soniaâs silence and often tacit support to Manmohanâs critics on issues such as disinvestment and price rise strengthened the impression of a rift at the heart of the UPA.
On the Indo-US deal, however, Sonia has fully backed the PMâs position articulated repeatedly over the last two weeks by union ministers Pranab Mukherjee and Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi that the government would only agree to either a suo motu statement on the issue by Prime Minister or a ââshort durationââ discussion to which the PM would reply.
The government has also tried to slam the CPM for ââjoining handsââ with the BJP on the issueâboth inside the Rajya Sabha and outside.
In this context, ministers have been particularly exultant over CPI MP Gurudas Dasguptaâs statement that his party would never go with the BJP on any issue. Dasmunsi, for instance, today complimented the CPI for its ââstable ideological convictionâââa thinly veiled broadside against the CPM.
Dasgupta, meanwhile, confirmed to reporters today that the Prime Minister had told him and his party colleagues yesterday that if the Left went with the BJP, it would be ââthe end of the day.ââ Dasgupta added that the PM had possibly said this ââin anguishââ and ââwe told him that we are not in favour of having a resolution with the BJP and neither are we aware of any such move.ââ
Government sources were hopeful that the issue would blow over once a full fledged discussion on the subject rounded off by the PMâs reply takes place before the Monsoon Session ends.
manini.chatterjee@expressindia.com
MANINI CHATTERJEEPosted online: Friday, August 04, 2006 at 0000 hrs Print Email
NEW DELHI, AUGUST 3:Firmly backing Prime Minister Manmohan Singhâs opposition to any ââsense of the Houseââ parliamentary resolution on the Indo-US nuclear deal, Congress president Sonia Gandhi has made it clear to the CPM that any move to press for the resolution could threaten the future of the UPA government.
Sonia Gandhi, sources said, conveyed this message to CPM leader Sitaram Yechury at a meeting at her residence on Wednesday, the same day that Manmohan Singh told a CPI delegation that if the Left goes with the BJP on the n-deal issue, ââthat will be the end of the day (for the government.ââ
The CPM, which has been campaigning against what it calls ââshifting of the goalpostsââ on the nuclear deal and insisting that the ââopinion of Parliamentââ needs to be spelt out on the issue, was keen to enlist the support of the Congress party, sources said.
Yechury met Sonia to underline that the efforts towards a resolution were not aimed against the government and indeed no resolution or ââsense of the Houseââ statement would be effective if the Congress, the biggest party in the House, did not endorse it.
Sonia, sources said, did not fall for the bait. She made it clear that any moves to bind the governmentâs negotiating powers on the deal were unacceptable. It also smacked of an expression of ââno confidenceââ in the Prime Minister and the governmentâs commitment to Indiaâs national interests.
Between the lines, Sonia also conveyed that Manmohan Singh was indispensable to the government. In other words, any wishful thinking that he could be replaced by another prime minister should be given up. If he quit, the government would fall, leading to fresh elections.
Soniaâs message is considered significant not only in the context of the Indo-US nuclear deal but also in the larger ââgovernment versus partyââ sentiment that had erupted in the last few months.
The Left as well as ââleftistsââ within the Congress have often railed against what they label as the governmentâs ââanti-aam aadmiââ and ââpro-USââ policies, seeking to drive a wedge between the Congress and government, between Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh.
Soniaâs silence and often tacit support to Manmohanâs critics on issues such as disinvestment and price rise strengthened the impression of a rift at the heart of the UPA.
On the Indo-US deal, however, Sonia has fully backed the PMâs position articulated repeatedly over the last two weeks by union ministers Pranab Mukherjee and Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi that the government would only agree to either a suo motu statement on the issue by Prime Minister or a ââshort durationââ discussion to which the PM would reply.
The government has also tried to slam the CPM for ââjoining handsââ with the BJP on the issueâboth inside the Rajya Sabha and outside.
In this context, ministers have been particularly exultant over CPI MP Gurudas Dasguptaâs statement that his party would never go with the BJP on any issue. Dasmunsi, for instance, today complimented the CPI for its ââstable ideological convictionâââa thinly veiled broadside against the CPM.
Dasgupta, meanwhile, confirmed to reporters today that the Prime Minister had told him and his party colleagues yesterday that if the Left went with the BJP, it would be ââthe end of the day.ââ Dasgupta added that the PM had possibly said this ââin anguishââ and ââwe told him that we are not in favour of having a resolution with the BJP and neither are we aware of any such move.ââ
Government sources were hopeful that the issue would blow over once a full fledged discussion on the subject rounded off by the PMâs reply takes place before the Monsoon Session ends.
manini.chatterjee@expressindia.com