New Delhi,27 May:Apparently running out of patience, the government is now thinking of taking a final call soon on whether to go ahead with the implementation of the Indo-US nuclear deal which is being staunchly opposed by the Left allies.
In this regard, the government is understood to have called a high-level meeting to be chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the next couple of days, where a decision will be taken, sources said today.
Among others, the meeting will be attended by Prime Minister’s Special Envoy on the nuclear deal Shyam Saran, Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Anil Kakodkar and India’s High Commissioner to Singapore S Jaishankar, who was involved in the negotiations for the agreement since the beginning.
The meeting will look at the options available before the government to see the agreement through, considering that time is running out and the Left is adamant on not giving up its opposition to the deal.
As part of the implementation of the deal, India has to sign a safeguards agreement with the IAEA and seek a waiver from the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group before the US Congress votes on it.
The US has already made it clear that the deal should come back to the Congress by July, failing which there will not be enough time for a vote as the country is having Presidential polls.
India has already concluded negotiations with the IAEA for the safeguards agreement, but it could not be signed due to stiff opposition from the Left parties which have warned the government of serious consequences if it went ahead.
The government feels it now has to take a call on the nuclear deal, one way or the other, and the consultations are aimed at looking at different alternative scenarios available, the sources said.
It was for this reason that the 28th May meeting of the UPA-Left Committee on the nuclear deal was postponed, the sources said.
One of the options that could be considered is to go ahead with the agreement with the IAEA and the NSG waiver before the Monsoon Session so that there would be enough time for the US Congress to take it up.