India ruling front pact in jeopardy over inking N-deal

New Delhi: The much-awaited meeting of the UPA-Left Coordination Committee on the Indo-US nuclear deal may miss the March 15 deadline.

Interestingly, after the government had agreed to convene a meeting of the panel at the Left Front's insistence, it is the unavailability of certain senior Marxist leaders that now puts the meeting in jeopardy.

The latest change of mood is being directly linked to the Left Front's impressive victory in the recent state legislative assembly elections in Tripura, where the Marxists have managed to retain power for the fourth consecutive term.

While Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) general secretary Prakash Karat is presently in the Tripura capital Agartala to participate in the swearing-in of chief minister Manik Sarkar for a fresh term, Karat's senior colleague Sitaram Yechury could soon be off to Agartala to participate in a victory rally.

An incensed Karat had demanded a meeting of the 17-member panel by March 15 following reports that New Delhi was on the verge of concluding ongoing talks with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for India-specific safeguards.

Changed outlook

The panel was formed in October last year to break the logjam between the ruling coalition and its Left allies and was expected to scrutinise text of the draft agreement, which is yet to be written.

The results of polls in three north-east states have since left the Congress camp downcast and the Left upbeat.