CPM won’t budge, plans to blame Cong for ‘eventuality’

Realising that the government is determined to go ahead with the operationalisation of the Indo-US nuclear deal, the CPM, whose central...

Realising that the government is determined to go ahead with the operationalisation of the Indo-US nuclear deal, the CPM, whose central committee meeting began today in Kolkata, plans to make efforts to ensure that it’s the Congress which is seen to be responsible for any “eventuality.”

Though the poll-wary West Bengal leadership has raised concerns about the timing of an election, there has been no difference of opinion on “opposing the strategic partnership with the US, in which the nuclear deal figures mainly,” at the politburo meeting and the central committee meeting which began today in Kolkata, sources said.

The CPM patriarch Jyoti Basu stressed on the political strategy in dealing with the crisis-that in no way it should be seen that it’s not the CPM, which is responsible for the fall of the government. In other words, the party needs to wait for the Congress to play the endgame and project that party had no other option.

Story continues below this ad

Sources said Jyoti Basu’s opinion was part of the politburo report, which was submitted before the central committee.

Karat and Sitaram Yechury informed the politburo about the developments at the UPA-Left political committee on the nuclear deal. The Left parties will be raising the specific issue of IAEA talks at the next meeting of the UPA-Left committee on nuclear deal on October 5.

“Our stand is clear — there will be no compromise on the nuclear deal issue,” Basu told reporters after the first half of the central committee meeting in Kolkata. Basu said External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee had called him up, and he had told Mukherjee to wait for the October 5 meeting.

“I pointed out to Pranab-babu that he will also be present at the October 5th meeting, and he can tell us what he wants to do on the deal,” Basu said.

Story continues below this ad

Basu said he had told Mukherjee that Prakash Karat had said what the party had to say on the issue. “Now it is your turn,” Basu told Mukherjee. “There is a meeting on the 5th and I have heard that another meeting will follow after that,” Basu said. “We want to see what the Congress does.”

However, some leaders felt the party had to build up a campaign beyond the nuclear deal to face the election as the deal would not strike an immediate chord with the people.

Others argued that the US was also linked with “economic policies of the Government including the price rise.” The need to oppose communalism and imperialism together was stressed by a section, adding that it should not be seen that one issue was compromising the other.

Suggestions were also made about being cautious while making statements to the media, which sends out a message that there is “difference in the party” on the nuclear deal. “Our position on the deal is unanimous. As unanimous as unanimous decisions are taken in any political party in the country,” a senior CPM leader said.