At the end of the day, the Congress maintained its no-compromise stance on the IAEA talks later this month although CPI general secretary AB Bardhan stated today that the Left would withdraw support from the government if it went ahead with IAEA negotiations.

Earlier, Congress’s main interlocutor and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee met Karat and reiterated the need for the government to start IAEA talks. To which Karat threatened that the Congress would “have to face the consequences”.

At this point, sources said, Mukherjee told the Left that he could not unilaterally amend his party position and if the Left was adamant on this issue, then it ought to take it up with the Congress president. As a result, a hurried meeting was arranged between Left leaders and Sonia, who was at an Air Force Day reception then. The meeting happened on her return.

Ahead of the fourth United Progressive Alliance (UPA)-Left meeting tomorrow, Mukherjee had sought to impress on the Left that going ahead with negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) did not constitute operationalisation of the deal. He reiterated that the Left would be shown the text of the safeguards and taken on board before it is signed. Karat, however, refused to relent. Earlier in the day, the Left reacted strongly to the Congress President’s statement at Jhajjar in Haryana yesterday that those who opposed nuclear deal were the enemies of development. The nuclear deal was not in the interest of the country, said the Left.

... contd.