The turnaround on the part of the Government came a day after CPM leaders Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechury called on UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi asking her to take a “political decision” and delay the operationalisation of the deal adding that, otherwise, the Left would be forced to withdraw support.

As per the understanding reached between the two sides at a two-hour meeting of the UPA-Left committee today, neither will go public about the decision to go slow to avoid any “public, acrimonious debate.” Accordingly, Left leaders did not go beyond saying that the Government would not hold any talks with the IAEA until October 22 when the committee is scheduled to meet again. The Left has also asked the UPA to explain the impact of the deal on the country’s foreign policy.

According to UPA sources, the turnaround happened because nobody wanted to foist mid-term polls on the country. “Delaying does not mean killing the deal. The nuclear deal is on. What we are concerned about is nuclear reactors and fuel, not about micro details like the process or timing to achieve it,” a senior Congress leader tried to put up a brave face. Adding that “informal talks” with the IAEA would go on.

Although the UPA constituents stood by the Government on the merits of the deal, many of them including the RJD, the LJP, and the DMK, did not want it to be the reason for the collapse of the government, said sources.

At today’s meeting, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee made yet another attempt to convince the Left that talks with the IAEA should be allowed to proceed and that the Government would show the text of the safeguards agreement to the Left before signing it.

The Left, however, rejected the proposal again with a senior Left leader warning that the ruling combine should not “sacrifice” the Government at the “altar” of the nuclear deal. At this point Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav intervened saying, “Where is the need of election?”

Mukherjee said that the NDA had completed six years and if the UPA could not complete even five years, it would send a wrong signal to the people. To this, Yechury said that the NDA had dropped the three contentious Hindutva issues that were close to the BJP’s heart to run the coalition. The Left leaders had given the same arguments at their meeting with Sonia yesterday.

After the meeting, the two sides issued a statement saying that talks were held in a cordial atmosphere and the committee would meet again on October 22. “The members shared in detail their perceptions on various aspects of the cooperation agreement between India and the US. Discussions were also initiated on the implications of the nuclear agreement on foreign policy and security cooperation,” said Mukherjee. He later briefed the Congress Core Group.

“It is not a question of sink or sail. Where is the question of sacrificing the government? A happy solution will come out and that is the desire of both the parties,” AICC Media Department Chairman Veerappa Moily told reporters.

“Our agenda is the nuclear deal. It is not mid-term election and not destabilisation. We are saying don’t proceed with the deal. Once they take a decision, we will then decide what to do,” Yechury said after a meeting of the four Left parties later in the day.

Asked to comment on IAEA chief Mohammed El-Baradei’s meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh tomorrow, Yechury quipped “Atithi devo bhava (Guest is God)”.