His call for unity from the ramparts of the Red Fort was read as a subtle hint to Left allies who have asked the government not to operationalise the nuclear deal.

His silence on the deal was appreciated by the CPM which said the Prime Minister did not use the occasion to build up a “sort of opinion generation” which is a “very welcoming thing”. “Till Parliament discusses this, I think it’s only in the order of things that the Prime Minister has upheld the dignity of the House by not raising the issue during his speech. I think that is very good,” said CPM politburo member Sitaram Yechury.

With only two days to go for the CPM politburo meeting and the CPI national secretariat, there are strong indications that the Left parties are not considering any immediate drastic step like withdrawal of support to the government but are examining ways to block next steps like negotiations for an India-specific safeguards agreement with the IAEA and amending the Nuclear Suppliers Group guidelines.

While Left sources admit that these steps are essentially “executive decisions”, their intention is to make it increasingly difficult for the government to do so. The politburo is likely to endorse measures to the effect while reiterating that the government must not go ahead with “operationalising” the deal.The government, however, has few options. It’s learnt that India and US are looking to bring the India-specific safeguards agreement before the IAEA board of governors for approval on November 22. According to this broad timetable, talks need to begin soon after the debate in Parliament is over.

While India is yet to formally approach the IAEA to schedule talks, DAE head Anil Kakodkar will be in Vienna for the agency’s general conference on September 17. The IAEA board is slated to meet a week earlier, but the Indian agreement is not part of the agenda yet.

Sources said India is expected to make the first forays on the safeguards agreement on the margins of this meeting and possibly agree on dates for formal negotiations soon after. It is quite possible that a technical team will be sent ahead of the conference to hold informal talks.

With the government showing urgency, the Left plans to derail this timetable but will stop short of withdrawing support to the government for now.

For the Left, the immediate strategy is to buy time by taking on the government through protests and rallies. If they manage to upset the timetable for the next six months, Left sources say it will block the nuclear deal for the time being since President Bush’s term will come to an end next November. And as has been the case, major legislative business tends to get postponed seven to eight months before Presidential elections.