New Delhi: Even as the Indian delegation is on its way back to New Delhi from Vienna after three rounds of negotiations with International Atomic Energy Commission (IAEA) on India-specific nuclear safeguards, CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat and his CPI counterpart AB Bardhan discussed the matter amidst indications that the Left parties would not budge from their opposition to the operationalisation of the India-US nuclear deal. The delegation will brief Prime Minister Manmohan Singh probably on Monday on the outcome of the three rounds of talks.

The talks at Vienna is expected to conclude by January-end and before initialling the agreement, the UPA is mandated to take the draft document to the UPA-Left nuclear committee for the approval. Sources said the 15-member panel set up to scrutinise the deal may not meet before the final round of talks. Karat called on Bardhan on Sunday and discussed the political situation and the ongoing IAEA talks.While they were tightlipped about their discussion, CPI(M) sources said they have reiterated their resolve not to allow the government to ink the deal.They also discussed external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee’s remarks on Friday that the government is trying its best to save the deal.

Mukherjee, side-stepping queries on a specific timetable for operationalising the deal had hinted that negotiations with the IAEA on the safeguards treaty would be completed by January-end. The deal will go to the IAEA board of governors for approval after the “unlikely” event of Left clearing the draft. But in the wake of a string of electoral drubbing, the Congress is unlikely to alienate the Left beyond a point. Talking to a news agency on Friday, Mukherjee had said, “No, I have not given up.We are working on how we can proceed (with the deal).”

At the same breath, the minister also ruled out the possibility of a mid-term poll. “Of course, time is running out. But one cannot help it. Either you lose majority, and if a government loses majority nobody is going to have an arrangement with a minority government,” he said. Refuting suggestions that the deal was now on the backburner because of electoral debacle, Mukherjee said, “their (left) position is not linked with electoral successes and reverses.”

Source : DNAIndia