While the Congress downplayed Karat’s threat — party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said “whatever is being negotiated is as per the understanding reached in the coordination committee meetings of the Left and the UPA and after full engagement with the Left” — the BJP dared the CPM to “show courage” and withdraw support to the government. “If Prakash Karat is so serious, let him show the courage and withdraw support. He lacks courage,” said BJP’s Ravi Shankar Prasad.

Though Karat has been sticking to his hardline stance that the government will face the “consequence” if it goes ahead with operationalisation of the deal, this is the first time that he has clearly mentioned mid-term elections. He made it clear at the party meeting that there was “no change” in the party’s stand on the issue and “there is no going back.”

“History will not forgive us if we allow a Left-backed government to operationalise the deal and make India a subordinate ally of the United States,” he reportedly told the party meeting which was not open to the media.

The second round of talks in Vienna comes after the IAEA studied India’s proposals and conveyed this week that it was willing to hold talks along those lines. India wants its safeguards agreement to reflect fuel supplies assurances, the right to build a strategic fuel reserve for the lifetime of India’s reactors besides acknowledging the Separation Plan.