Decision on nuke deal on Aug 18: Left

New Delhi, Aug 17: The CPI (M) today began a two-day crucial meeting of its polit bureau amid clear indications from party leaders that there was no immediate threat to the three-year-old UPA Government and the party would take a final decision on its strategy on the Indo-US nuclear deal tomorrow.

An hour before the two-day CPI (M) discussions began at the A K Gopalan Bhawan here, party general secretary Prakash Karat said, ''Even though the honeymoon (with the UPA government) seems to be over, the marriage could still go on.'' His comments, however, were in sharp contrast to those made by CPI counterpart A B Bardhan, who told a TV channel late yesterday night that ''the honeymoon is over. It is only a question of filing divorce papers, if it comes to that." Mr Karat's remarks were corroborated by Chairman of the Left Front Committee Biman Bose, who is also attending the party meet, when he said, ''the ongoing tussle between the government and the Left over the nuke deal is not going to impact the Left drive for industrialisation in the state.'' Mr Biman Bose had already made clear that this party's policy was not to pull down the government but work for a change in the policies which were not in the national interest.

A top party functionary, on the condition of anonymity, told the sources that the government would not fall because of the left parties but because of its own policies. ''As far as our stand is concerned, the government knows it well'', he said.

West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhdev Bhattacharjee, when asked about his dinner meeting with Prime minister Manmohan Singh tonight, simply quipped, ''How can I tell you (anything) beforehand.'' Meanwhile, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who recently talked to eft leaders -- Prakash Karat, A B Bardhan, D Raja and Sitaram Yechury to ease the tension between the government and the Left on the nuclear deal had also met Mr Bhattacharjee yesterday.

UNI