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Sure that PM will convince Left
The Congress does not see the Left parties rejection of the Indo-US civil nuclear deal as a threat as they are confident that PM will convince them, reports Saroj Nagi.
The Congress does not see the Left parties rejection of the Indo-US civil nuclear deal as a threat to the UPA government at the Centre and was confident that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be able to convince the communists that the agreement was in the best interests of the country.
Singh, who has already told the communists that he was ready to address their concerns, is slated to make a suo motu statement in the two Houses of Parliament on August 13. Any debate on the subject will be taken up later. Though it was for the presiding officer to decide the rule under which it will be debated, sources pointed out that as a matter of convention foreign policy issues are not taken up in the House under a rule which calls for a vote.
“We are confident that the PM will be able to convince the Left… There is absolutely no question of the government being destabilized. It will last its full term,” claimed spokesperson Jayanti Natarajan while responding to questions about the Left’s intransigence on the issue. She added that the Left’s rejection of the deal does not amount to an ultimatum to the government. On his part, Parliamentary Affairs Minister P.R. Dasmunsi was confident that the Left will not do anything that will facilitate the BJP’s return to power.
Natarajan rejected the Left — and earlier the BJP’s demand — for a constitutional amendment to bring international treaties for parliamentary approval. “The matter will have both national and international ramifications. It should be discussed within the UPA and with other allies. It is not possible to have a Congress view on it — there has to be a UPA view on it,” she said. Dasmunsi said that the demand was “not justified”. He also recalled that the Left had welcomed the Indo-Soviet treaty that was signed on August 9, 1971 but was not brought for parliamentary approval.
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