NEW DELHI, 18 March 2008 — Notwithstanding the noise made against the India-US nuclear deal by leftist parties and the assurance given by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on sorting out differences with the former, nothing much was achieved at a meeting yesterday.
Chaired by Mukherjee, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA)-left committee met yesterday evening to discuss various aspects of the deal. As expected, the left remained opposed to the deal.
“The committee felt that further discussion is required. The next committee meeting will be held in April 2008,” Mukherjee said after emerging from the meeting.
More rounds of discussions are needed as the left is yet to study the outcome of India’s talks with the International Atomic Energy Agency. During yesterday’s meeting, the government gave a “gist” of the safeguards agreement, T.J. Chandrachoodan (Revolutionary Socialist Party) said. This process of holding a series of meetings is likely to last for a few months, making sure that India misses the June deadline set by the United States, leftist sources said.
