CPI (M) General Secretary Prakash Karat met Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Saturday afternoon over the Indo-US nuclear cooperation agreement at the latters official residence here.
New Delhi, Aug 18 : CPI (M) General Secretary Prakash Karat met Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Saturday afternoon over the Indo-US nuclear cooperation agreement at the latter's official residence here.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and CPI (M) Politburo member Sitaram Yechury were also present at the meeting which is being considered a last ditch effort for a 'patching up' UPA-Left relations, which have deteriorated over the Left's vehement opposition to the US-India civilian nuclear deal.
The decision to 'immediately' meet the Prime Minister and the Congress leadership came after the Left Party's 'crucial politburo meeting ended here today.
Karat is scheduled to announce the party's stand over the agreement, the text of which has already been finalised by New Delhi and Washington.
The CPI (M) has already stated that there is no imminent withdrawal of its crucial support to the UPA Government, but the party remains steadfast in its opposition to the nuclear agreement.
Party sources said the Prime Minister is responsible for bringing the recent low in UPA-Left relations by publicly challenging the Left to withdraw support from the government.
The CPI (M) leaders are also in touch with other constituent members of the Left Front- CPI, RSP and AIFB- to chalk out a joint strategy against the nuclear deal in Parliament, where the issue is likely to come up for debate under Rule 193 that does not entail voting.
Left parties have been opposing the deal on grounds that the Congress-led UPA government is inching closer to the US in violation of the Common Minimum Programme that both ironed out in 2004.
The Left leaders have also said that the recently inked 123-agreement, which would operationalise the bilateral nuclear deal, would hamper India's sovereign right to conduct a nuclear test in the future.
Prime Minister Singh had in a suo moto statement in Parliament, assured legislators that the deal does not impinge country's sovereign rights.
ANI