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New Delhi: The logjam over the contentious Indo-US nuclear deal was broken with the Left parties allowing the ruling coalition to approach the IAEA on Friday.
The logjam, which had plunged the nation into a political crisis with threat of fresh polls looming large, was resolved with both the ruling United Progressive Alliance and its key Left allies agreeing to let the government approach the International Atomic Energy Agency for evolving an India-specific nuclear safeguard agreement.
The Left climbdown is seen as a major success for the beleaguered Manmohan Singh government particularly after the Left had threatened to withdraw its crucial support to it if it took any further step towards operationalisation of the nuke deal.
Left considered approaching the IAEA as the next step.
Left formally announced change in its stand at the sixth round of the UPA-Left Coordination Committee meeting held at Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee's South Block office. Mukherjee, who is convenor of the 16-member panel, read out a joint statement after the meeting saying the panel discussed the implications of the Hyde Act on the 123 agreement on foreign policy and security matters.
"The government will proceed with the talks and the outcome will be presented to the committee for its consideration before it [government] finalised its findings." Mukherjee announced.
Change of heart
Indicating its change of heart, the Left had over the past couple of days had made it clear that they intended to hold the veto right as it wanted to go through the text of the agreement with the IAEA for it can be signed.
Signing India-specific safeguard agreement with the international nuclear watchdog is mandatory before India can approach the Nuclear Supplier Group and reverse the three-decade old ban on access American nuclear fuel and equipment before India can aspire to meet its growing energy demands.
Parliament is slated to discuss the Indo-US nuclear deal on November 27.
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