Left miffed by PM speak may pull plug on Tue

The Left seems to have finally made its decision. It may withdraw support to the United Progressive Alliance, or UPA, government on Tuesday itself, instead of waiting for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to return from the G8 Summit in Japan. This decision came after the Prime Minister said the government was ready to take the deal to the IAEA, and was also ready to show a majority in Parliament.

Communist Party of India National Secretary D Raja came down heavily on Prime Minister and demanded that he has to explain to the nation "how he manipulated the numbers to get a majority in the House". "The Prime Minister has put the UPA-Left Coordination Committee and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee in a ridiculous position. Having made such a categorical statement he has left the Left parties with no choice but to withdraw support," he added.

Raja said a final decision would be taken at 11:30 am tomorrow which has been advanced from 4 pm. "The meeting that Mukherjee has proposed has now become meaningless and irrelevant," the CPI leader said.

Earlier, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said India would approach International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, on the nuclear deal very soon for a safeguards agreement for the controversial Indo-US nuclear deal. "Assurances have been given that once India goes to the IAEA, the process will move very fast."

The Prime Minister's statement to journalists on board the aircraft carrying him to Sapporo in Japan for the G-8 Summit comes amid reports from Vienna, the IAEA headquarters, that the board of the international nuclear watchdog will meet on July 28 to approve the safeguards agreement.

Singh, who will be meeting US President George W Bush on the sidelines of the summit on July 9, said he would also be holding parleys with other world leaders and seek their support for the nuclear deal at the IAEA and the Nuclear Suppliers' Group. "We have support from US, France, Russia, and UK and are confident of receiving China's support for the nuclear deal."

Singh said his government was ready to face Parliament for a trial of strength.