India's ruling alliance confident of trust vote win

New Delhi: The ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) on Friday said the coalition will sail comfortably through the confidence vote in parliament on July 22.

At a meeting of the UPA allies held at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's residence here, Congress President Sonia Gandhi reportedly thanked the Communist Prty of India-Marxist (CPM)-led Left allies for their four-year-long support to the government.

Earlier, the government, reduced to a minority after losing the Left support over the India-US nuclear deal, announced it would seek a trust vote on July 22.

The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs decided to take up the voting during a two-day session that will end on July 22.

The decision was conveyed to President Pratibha Patil, government sources said.

After his return from Japan, where he met US President George W. Bush on the sidelines of the G8 summit, Singh met Patil on Thursday evening and expressed the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government's readiness for a floor test.

Allies of the Congress in the UPA met last morning at Singh's residence and expressed confidence that the government would survive the trust vote.

Commitment

"The government stands by its commitment that it would face parliament before going to the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] Board of Governors," Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi said.

The government had stated that it would prove its majority in the 545-seat Lok Sabha before going to the IAEA to finalise the India-specific safeguards pact. The UPA is confident of proving its numbers in the Lok Sabha.

"We have enough numbers to prove the majority. We already have more than 280 members [which is eight more than the half-way mark 272 in the Lok Sabha] and we are trying to convince more members," Ravi said.

Congress sources claimed that apart from the 236 MPs in the UPA, it will get the support of 37 Samajwadi Party members, a few independents, two of the three Janata Dal-Secular MPs and its estranged ally Telangana Rashtra Samiti's three members.

The government has been reduced to a minority after 61 MPs of the CPM-led Left bloc and an allied party withdrew their legislative support on Wednesday after propping it up for four years.

No bitterness

The Left, which vehemently opposes the nuclear deal, was protesting the government move to finalise the safeguards pact at the IAEA, a crucial step to take the contentious deal ahead.

"We thank the Left for their support though we cannot carry them with us on the nuclear deal," Gandhi said. She also expressed confidence that the government will win the confidence vote.

According to External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who briefed the media after the meeting, all the UPA allies - except a few who cited personal reasons - attended the meeting.

"We endorsed that parting of ways with the Communists was sad. But in politics these things happen. There is no bitterness among us. We have accepted the challenge with courage and conviction," Mukherjee said.

Although there were speculations that the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha's (JMM) five MPs may not stay with the UPA, Mukherjee said its leader Shibu Soren did not attend the meeting as he was busy with his son's wedding. JMM MP Hemlal Murmu was present.

Mehbooba Mufti of the People's Democratic Party, which has snapped its ties with the Congress in Jammu and Kashmir, was also present. Both Mukherjee and Rashtriya Janata Dal chief and Railways Minister Lalu Prasad said there was no bitterness with the Left.