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Congress consults allies on Left parties’ stance

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi began consultations late on Saturday with the constituents of the ruling United Progressive Alliance on the stand taken by the Left parties on the Indo-U.S. nuclear agreement.

This followed an emergency meeting of the Congress Core Group.

Ms. Gandhi and senior leaders participated in the meeting held at Dr. Singh’s residence.

The meeting was attended, among others, by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Defence Minister A.K. Antony, Home Minister Shivraj Patil and Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh.

Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said: “The sequence till now has been that we have extracted every possible safeguard in the national interest. That will remain the guiding pole star in future IAEA and Nuclear SG agreements.”

“Occasional differences are part of marital life. Hasty talk of divorce should be avoided,” he added.

Ms. Gandhi spoke over phone to DMK president M. Karunanidhi later in the night and discussed the Left demand that the government put on hold the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal.

DMK sources here said the party would support the government on any decision it took and that the concerns raised by the Left could be negotiated.

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