Left asks UPA to prove its majority in Parliament
8 Jul 2008, 2050 Hrs

Left parties have said that they will urge President Pratibha Devisingh Patil to ask the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance to prove its majority in Parliament following its withdrawal of support

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New Delhi, July 8 (ANI): Left parties have said that they will urge President Pratibha Devisingh Patil to ask the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance to prove its majority in Parliament following its withdrawal of support.

Accusing the government of double standards, the Left said the UPA Government has on the one hand decided to convene a meeting with the Left to discuss the US-India civil nuclear cooperation issue, while on the other, the Prime Minister has announced that his government will go ahead with the next steps on the deal.

"On one hand Pranab Mukherjee (foreign minister) sends us letter (saying) they would hold meeting on the 10th of this month, and on the other hand, the Prime Minister announces, he is the government, he has announced that they will go ahead with the IAEA. So, on the face of it, all the four Communist parties have decided that one, they will pull out support from the government, second, we will give a letter to the President tomorrow and third, we will request the president to ask the government to prove majority in the house," Debabrata Biswas, general secretary of All India Forward Block (AIFW) told reporters in national capital New Delhi.

Anticipating the withdrawal of support by the Left, the government has lined up support from the Samajwadi Party to provide it with a parliamentary majority, and hopes to avoid early elections.

For this reason, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar dispelled any threat to the UPA Government.

"I don't think there will be a problem for the government. In a parliamentary democratic system, there will be a floor test, and depending on the presence of ministers, it will be decided. I have seen the figures and, I don't think there is a problem," said Pawar, who is also the president of the Nationalist Congress Party, a key ally.

Congress leaders criticised the Left for their decision to withdraw support, saying that the Communists had demeaned the Prime Minister while he was on an official trip abroad.

"What substantial thing left was telling (is that) don't operationalise the deal till you get the OK from the committee. The operationalising will take time, it is only the process what PM (prime minister) has said clearly. It is a proof, going to IAEA is not a ... we have already gone to the IAEA it is only next the text has to be discussed, text summary was discussed. What is done which is hidden, what is the mistake the PM has done it. As a PM of the country he is going to G-8, it is prestige of the country he is the PM of the country, a political party in India can be so insensitive to demean PM, It is doesn't lie with them to demean the PM," said Veerappa Moily, a senior Congress party leader.

The Left has been threatening to end their support to the government for months if the latter took the step of approaching the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for an India-specific safeguards agreement. (ANI)