Cong will do all it can to get through to Left

Congress leaders are hopeful the crisis with the Left will be contained in the next few days and intend to use every forum, including the debate in Parliament, to dispel the Left’s fears while informing them of the benefits from the deal.

The leaders draw hope from the fact that the CPI-M has not spoken of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s resignation, scrapping the deal or withdrawing support.

“Our attempt will be to respect their dissent without confrontation and carry on (with the deal),” said a senior leader.

“We can understand the Left’s apprehensions about the US. These concerns are there in a section of the Congress too. Who can forget that Nixon targeted Indira Gandhi and the Reagan administration was against Rajiv Gandhi,” asked a Union minister.

But he added: “We have to take note of changing realities, including the collapse of the Soviet Union, the shift in Indo-US relations and China’s 123 agreement with the US. If China progresses rapidly over the next 10 years, we too have to see that our country takes that leap.’’

“Just as we don’t negotiate out of fear, we don’t and should not fear to negotiate,” said party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi, adding that the government has displayed “exemplary transparency” by coming before Parliament after each stage of talks since 2005.

“The entire process is in public domain,” he said, underlining that India would be the only country to have not signed the NPT and yet be recognised as a nuclear state.

The provisions of the Hyde Act, which the Left is worried about, are not binding on India Singhvi said.

First Published: Aug 22, 2007 05:09 IST