The intention was to make the Government state whether and when it intended to approach the IAEA before the PM leaves for Japan where he will discuss the deal with US President George W Bush.

But minutes after setting the deadline, CPM Politburo member Sitaram Yechury gave a public statement saying the Left would not pull the plug until the Prime Minister returned. The reasoning: “We have always been considerate. We have kept the dignity of the Prime Minister’s office and the nation. We will not take any step when he (the Prime Minister) is there (at the G-8 summit).”

Yechury’s comments left the RSP fuming. “Why should we show the courtesy when the Government is not showing any,” a senior RSP leader asked.

The Left parties are likely to meet here on July 8, a day after the deadline expires to decide their future strategy. Since the Government is not planning to give away its exact plan, the Left will have to re-draw their game plan.

Sources in the Left said the window for withdrawal of support would be between July 9 and July 14, the day the Left will launch a nation-wide campaign to explain to the people the reasons for their opposition to the deal with the US.

A sense of disappointment of not getting a chance to pull down the Government over the deal issue was clearly visible in the Left camp. According to the Left parties, today’s letter came against the backdrop of “various pronouncements being made by leaders of the ruling coalition and some Union ministers that the Government is going ahead with the nuclear deal,” CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat read out from the letter sent to Mukherjee.

... contd.