July 02, 2008	Wednesday	Jamadi-us-Sani 27, 1429

NEW DELHI, July 1: Angry about a civilian nuclear deal with the United States, India’s main communist party said it could withdraw support from the government if Prime Minister Manmohan Singh makes what is seen as a symbolic trip to a G8 summit.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI (M), is one of four leftist parties supporting the government. They will halt their crucial support for the ruling coalition in parliament if Singh moves ahead with a deal they say will make India a pawn of Washington.

The four left parties will hold a meeting on Friday to discuss the prime minister’s trip to a G8 summit on July 7 in Japan, senior communist leader Sitaram Yechury said.

For the left, Singh’s trip could symbolise his decision to move ahead with one of his most important diplomatic policies and for which he shook hands with President George Bush at the White House in 2005.

“He had said he would only go (to the summit) if he gets clearance to go ahead with the nuclear deal,” Prakash Karat, the head of the CPI (M), told the Hindustan Times on Tuesday.

“His going to Japan is an indication that they (the government) are going ahead with the deal. We are therefore discussing the timing of the withdrawal.”

A senior CPI (M) official, Nilotpal Basu, confirmed Karat’s statement.

Asked specifically if the communist parties would withdraw their support if the prime minister went to Japan, Karat said:

“That is not the case yet.”

WAR OF WORDS: The statement is the latest in the war of words between the two allies as speculation mounts that the communists will withdraw, plunging India into possible early elections this year and months of political uncertainty.

The pact, which gives India access to US nuclear fuel and technology, is potentially worth billions of dollars to US and European nuclear supplier companies and would give India more energy alternatives to drive its booming, trillion-dollar economy.

With time running out before Bush leaves office, there are increasing signs Singh wants to go ahead with the accord even if it leads to the collapse of his coalition.

But an early election could be a blow for the ruling Congress party. Many government allies would prefer an election in early 2009, as scheduled, hoping the government will be able by then to rein in record inflation that has cost it support among voters.

Singh was quoted in The Hindu newspaper on Tuesday as saying he wanted the left to allow him to move ahead getting clearances from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), procedures that could take months.

Singh then said he would allow the nuclear deal to be debated in parliament.

“I have said it before,” Singh told The Hindu. “I will repeat it again that you allow us to complete the process. Once the process is over, I will bring it before Parliament.”

On Tuesday, Indian shares fell 3.7 per cent due to high oil prices, inflation and political uncertainty. A flurry of meetings are scheduled this week by the government, its non-communist allies and leftist parties.

Senior government officials were due to meet with members of the regional Samajwadi Party, aiming to secure its parliamentary support in case the communist parties withdraw their support.

Even if Singh goes ahead with the pact, it is unclear whether there will be enough time for the deal to be sealed.

Even after clearances from the IAEA and the NSG, the pact would then have to go to the US Congress for final approval before the end of Bush’s term.

—Reuters