Left leaders await Congress response

New Delhi: After days of frenetic political activity, a hush descended on Sunday as Left leaders awaited the Congress' response to their ultimatum on the India-US nuclear deal and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh left for Japan today to attend the G8 summit.

The Left parties on Friday served a July 7 deadline to the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government to let them know whether it was going to approach the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for an India-specific safeguards pact - a key step in making the nuclear deal operational.

In a letter to External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, the four Left parties said: "We wish to know definitely whether the government is proceeding to seek the approval of the safeguards agreement by the board members of the IAEA. Please let us know the position by 7th July, 2008."

"We do not know if the government will respond," said Abani Roy, leader of Revolutionary Socialist Party.

Incommunicado

Most other Left leaders remained incommunicado with their mobile phones switched off.

Having worked out a survival strategy thanks to the support expressed by the Samajwadi Party, the government is readying to move ahead with the IAEA pact to take the nuclear deal forward - a move that is bound to lead to a final rupture of ties with its Communist allies that are propping up the government.

Congress leaders too were tight-lipped and, despite repeated attempts to contact them, did not comment on the party's response to the Left's ultimatum.

Communist Party of India-Marxist general secretary Prakash Karat, who was in Kolkata Saturday to discuss the political crisis with his party colleagues - party patriarch Jyoti Basu and West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhatacharjee - returned to Delhi yesterday.

Left sources said there was still no unanimity on the timing of withdrawing support to the government. On the sidelines of the G8 summit, the prime minister is scheduled to meet US president George W. Bush Wednesday, and the two leaders are expected to discuss the progress of the nuclear deal.

Manmohan Singh will return to India Wednesday night.

"The four parties will meet Wednesday to take a final call on the timing of withdrawal of support," said a senior Left leader.