Government eyes Samajwadi Party lifeline

New Delhi: The government tried to woo a regional party yesterday and secure a parliamentary majority amid signs its communist allies were intent on withdrawing their support to protest against a nuclear deal with the United States.

National security adviser M.K. Narayanan met leaders of the Samajwadi Party late last evening to try to persuade it to back the civilian nuclear deal, seen as a landmark accord that would move India's trade and diplomatic relations closer to the West.

"The prime minister, whether inside the parliament or outside, has to publicly explain the doubts raised by us," Amar Singh, a senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader, said after the meeting. "Until that happens, (the SP) can't support the deal."

The Left parties have given the Congress-led ruling coalition a parliamentary majority over the past four years but they say they will withdraw support if Prime Minister Manmohan Singh moves ahead with a deal they believe makes India a pawn of Washington.

The pact, which gives New Delhi access to US nuclear fuel and technology, is potentially worth billions of dollars to US and European nuclear supplier companies and would give India more energy alternatives to drive a booming, trillion-dollar economy.

If the Left parties withdraw, the government would need the support of the SP, a socialist party with strong Muslim backing in Uttar Pradesh, to avoid losing a vote of confidence in parliament and facing an early election later this year.

Fearful the fall of the government could open the way to power for the main opposition, the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the SP has hinted it is willing to negotiate with the centre-left Congress.

"We always aim to keep the communal forces (the Hindu-nationalist opposition) at bay," SP chief Mulayam Singh said on Tuesday night. "To that end, there are no political untouchables for us."

Left stand: Key meeting today

The four left parties that prop up the government will hold a meeting today to discuss the prime minister's trip to a G8 summit next week in Japan.

For the communists, his trip could symbolise a decision to move ahead with one of his most important diplomatic policies, one for which he shook hands with President George W. Bush at the White House in 2005.

The prime minister says he wants the left to allow him to proceed in getting clearances from the International Atomic Energy Agency and the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group, which could take months.

The United States has urged India to move on the deal before the end of Bush's tenure, warning the pact may not survive in its current form under the next administration.