Karat to decide CPM stand on N-deal

The CPM politburo, when it meets on Sunday, is likely to authorise its general secretary, Prakash Karat, to take a decision, along with the leaders from the other Left parties, on announcing withdrawal of support to the UPA. "We have three chief ministers in the politburo. It can't keep meeting time and again.
Tomorrow we will discuss the possibility of what should be done if the government announces that it wants to go ahead and approach the IAEA board," a politburo member told Hindustan Times. The CPM will discuss the current political situation and its future course of action at a meeting of the party's politburo meeting.
Left leaders in New Delhi have maintained that they would immediately withdraw support to the government if it decides to ignore Left opposition and approach the IAEA board for the India-specific safeguards agreement. The politburo will discuss this position as it meets.
The other question is whether the Left would vote against the government, after it withdraws support, in the event of a BJP-led no-confidence motion or will it itself move the motion. The politburo will take a decision on this so that it can be discussed with the other Left parties.
The CPI and Forward Block have similar internal meetings lined up on July 3. Leaders of the Left parties after thrashing out the plans of action within each party, will sit together and chalk out the Left block's collective response to the government's moves, a Left leader said.
Since the unpleasant and inconclusive ninth meeting of the UPA-Left committee on the nuclear deal, on June 25, politburo member Sitaram Yechury has met the External Affairs minister and the committee's convenor Pranab Mukherjee twice. Yechury will apprise the rest of the politburo of the meetings with Mukherjee.
Discussions between leaders from the Left and those from the UNPA and the UPA allies that have been on since June 18 will also be discussed, sources said.