New Delhi: The Left on Tuesday skirted the issue of withdrawal of support to the UPA Government even though their differences with the UPA seem to have grown after a crucial meeting of the 15-member UPA-Left nuclear panel ended without any result.
While both sides refused to budge from their respective stands, Left leaders later on Tuesday insisted that their agenda is the nuclear deal and not mid-term elections or destabilisation of the government.
CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury even tried to downplay the scheduled talks between the UPA Government and IAEA Director General ElBaradei, saying: "A guest is like God."
When asked specifically when the Left will take a final decision whether to stay with the government or not, Yechury said: "We are saying don't proceed with the deal. Once they take a decision, then we decide what to do."
Yechury said the Left has told the government that there should be no official forward movement with IAEA. Till now, they (government) have not proceeded forwarded.
"The Government has given us an assurance and the Left parties are going by the understanding that the committee formed to meet evaluate the nuclear deal and its impact will give its findings, only after which the government will take further steps," he said.
Earlier on behalf of the UPA, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee had conveyed to the Left leaders that it would be merely negotiations with the IAEA and not any attempt at operationalising the deal without completing the discussion process with the allies.
The Government is also understood to have sought Left’s permission to go ahead with the nuclear safeguards agreement talks with El Baradei. The UPA side maintained the same line at Tuesday's meeting with the Left as well.
The Left leaders warned the UPA that any attempt to bypass the discussions with the Left would have 'consequences' and threatened that they may pull the plug if the Government operationalised the deal.
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