Left's rigid standoff strangles UPA

With the Left’s threat on Sunday to withdraw support from the UPA government and constant opposition pressure over the Indo-US nuclear deal, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) coalition is on the verge of collapse as Congress wants to crack the deal citing it as one of the biggest diplomatic gain.

CPM Polit bureau, on Sunday, gave a clear signal by saying that it would withdraw support if the government goes ahead with the deal thereby putting the whole political scenario at risk forcing for an early general elections. The Congress president Sonia Gandhi has already asked her party members to be prepared for the poll and the party is also trying to at least gain the support of Samajwadi Party.

Samajwadi party with 39 MPs in Lok Sabha will no doubt play a crucial role in gaining support in the parliament; however, the SP which is considered as the unpredictable partner for the Congress is yet to open its cards.

Prakash Karat said that if the government decides to go ahead with the 123 agreement, with no majority support in the Parliament, the CPM will withdraw support to the coalition government in concert with the Left parties. He also holds the prime minister responsible for the current political crisis by making it a prestige issue.

Moreover, the UPA allies are more worried for early elections as the electorate is loaded with issues like high inflation, fuel price hike swaying the popular mood to the opposite. In that case BJP undoubtedly is going to gain the most if the deal is done and the nation faces an early poll.

BJP prime ministerial candidate Lal Krishan Advani while addressing a public rally in Rourkela on Sunday said that the government should focus on the burning issues and development despite pressing on the deal. He also expressed his intention to bring a no-confidence motion against the government if Left withdraws support.

Congress allies also don’t want to scrap up ties with Left as it is unlikely to gain the same support after the next poll on the basis of keeping only the secularism party together. Again the recent poll debacle in some of the state assembly elections including Karnataka has by some means given a hint to the ground realities in the present circumstances.

Furthermore, the Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj party’s (BSP) pulled back support with 17 MPs, and the present Amarnath shrine land row in Jammu and Kashmir in which its coalition partner, People's Democratic Party (PDP), pulled out only indicate the party’s political posture and that should not be undermined by Congress leadership before moving towards an early elections with serious political consequences.