Congress happy over UNPA meeting outcome

New Delhi, Jul 3 (UNI) Though the United National Progressive Alliance today failed to take a categorical stand on its support to the UPA government on the Indo-US Nuclear deal, the Congress today sounded upbeat saying that the "stand of the UNPA is not negative." AICC Spokesman Veerappa Moily told mediapersons a few hours after the UNPA leaders completed their meeting that there was no threat to the stability of the 50-month-old Manmohan Singh government (even if the Left parties withdraw its outside support).

Asked if the government would have numbers to continue in power in the event of the Left deciding to withdraw support at its meeting tomorrow, he said, "I will not say who will support us. I can only say the government is stable and will be stable." He said he was sure that no patriotic party would destablise the government on the issue of the nuclear deal which is "a national pride".

On a question if the Congress was happy over the outcome of the meeting of the UNPA leaders today, Mr Moily said, "I am not unhappy." In this context, he said, "it reflected the beginning of the journey for reconciliation or taking proper decision." Asked when the journey would end, he said " it depends on the pace at which you walk." Referring to the demand of the UNPA leaders that the Prime Minister should initiate a national debate on the nuke deal, he said, "We want to take the whole country with us. The process of dialogue has been on for the past one year." Mr Moily came down heavily on the Left parties for not getting satisfied with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's assurance that the deal would be operationalised only after taking the sense of Parliament. "Is this not enough...Why is the Left changing its stand again and again?...Has the government betrayed anybody ? What is their agenda?" In this context, he wanted to know if the Left was fighting its war against communalism or a proxy war.

On SP leader Amar Singh's statement that communalism was lethal than nuke deal, he asked why did the Left not understand this.

Asked if the Congress had begun discussions with any of the partners of the UNPA other than the SP, he did not give a reply saying that 'no comments." When a reporter brought to his attention the report that the Samajwadi Party had demanded the removal of Finance Minister P Chidambaram and Petroleum Minister Murli Deora as a pre-condition to its support to government, Mr Moily said, "We have not received any such proposal." Meanwhile, AICC General Secretaries and Spokespersons today held a meeting to review the political situation.

The meeting, held at the AICC headquarters at 24 Akbar Road, was not attended by AICC General Secretary Rahul Gandhi.

UNI SH SB GC1927