PM upset, may not attend G-8 over loss of face

(Source: www.ibnlive.com)

The ninth meeting of the Left-United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Nuclear Committee over the Indo-US Civil Nuclear Agreement ended without a decision.

The clearest signal out of the Left-UPA panel meet on Wednesday evening is that the Manmohan Singh government has bought some more time to work on the deal.

It seems at the end of a day both the Left as well as the government stuck to their respective positions even while maintaining that they did not favour early elections.

After a 90-minute meeting of the 15-member committee, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said that the committee completed its discussions on all aspects of the agreement.

"The next meeting of the committee to be convened in due course will finalise its findings," Mukherjee said.

Left sources told CNN IBN the next meeting of the committee is likely to be held in mid July.

CNN-IBN National Affairs Editor Diptosh Majumdar reports neither the Left nor the UPA want an early General Election. Left sources say they want Lok Sabha elections only during February-March 2008.

Even UPA partners like the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK) feel they will end with fewer seats if the elections are held this year. They fear high inflation and the general economic gloom will harm their electoral prospects.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar along with four other members of the committee did not attend the meeting.

Pawar is in Lord’s to celebrate the 25th anniversary of India winning the 1983 World Cup.