The 123 agreement is being opposed by the Left parties and they are attempting to mobilise other parties of the UNPA to oppose it in the forthcoming session of Parliament. Unlike the two major national parties — the Congress and BJP — the Left has always been opposed to India going nuclear. They are also not very enthusiastic about nuclear energy. They appear to favour an isolationist policy — which they call an independent foreign policy — for India. They are also opposed to economic and social liberalisation and the strategy of high economic growth. However, they extended their parliamentary support to the Congress in true balance of power strategy to keep their greater adversary, the BJP, out of office. Now on the issue of operationalising the 123 agreement they threaten to combine with the NDA and withdraw support to the UPA.

Surely on the issue of national interest in terms of the nuclear arsenal, engagement with the international system and getting the technology apartheid lifted, there are basic contradictions between the two major parties on one side and the Left. There are differences between the UPA and NDA on details in respect of the 123 agreement. But on the objective of sustaining the nuclear arsenal, securing freedom from technology apartheid and enhancing the relationship with US, there are no differences between the two alliances.

What is in the NDA’s interest? It has some shared interests with the UPA — such as nuclear arsenal, enhancement of relationship with US, economic reforms and engagement with the international community — but none with the Left Front. The NDA has a fruitful relationship with the Indo-US community which has staked a lot on seeing the Indo-US nuclear deal through. Eminent analysts like the former National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra are of the view that if the NDA can obtain assurances on certain issues in the 123 agreement it should be allowed to go through. The efforts of the Left Front to mobilise a third front are also not in the NDA’s interests. The NDA, as a ruling party of the past which initiated the paradigm shift and one that hopes to rule again at the Centre, would not like India’s and the Indian prime minister’s credibility to be damaged as the Left has tried to do by insisting that the country repudiate the 123 agreement.

... contd.