“The deal will have to happen in the interest of the nation”, party’s Media Department chairman M Veerappa Moily told reporters.
At the same time, he sought to downplay the CPM demand for an immediate meeting of UPA-Left Committee and the Marxist party’s warning about the future of the government saying it was neither an ultimatum nor did the government face any threat.
“I don’t think it as an ultimatum or government is under threat”, Moily said adding the key outside supporters had never been “unreasonable” and “till today everyone is on board and nothing has been obstructed and deal is on course.”
His remarks came close on the heels of CPM shooting off a letter to External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, government’s key interlocutor with the allies on the deal, asking for convening of the UPA-Left Committee meeting by March 15, 2008.
Karat’s letter comes against the backdrop of reports that the text of the draft India-specific Safeguards Agreement with the IAEA is more or less ready.
