Left decides to withdraw support, to meet President tomorrow

New Delhi, July 8 (UNI) The Left parties today announced their decision to withdraw support to the 50-month-old Manmohan Singh-led UPA government on the nuclear deal issue, but said they would formally convey the decision to President Pratibha Patil tomorrow.

The crucial decision, which makes the Congress-led government a minority, comes a day after the Prime Minister made it clear that the government would approach the IAEA for safeguards agreement "very soon." The joint decision of the CPI(M), CPI, RSP and the Forward Bloc makes the UPA-Left Coordination Committee meeting, proposed by the panel Chairman Pranab Mukherjee, irrelevant.

Announcing the decision, CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat said the Left parties had already announced that they would pull the plug if the government went ahead with its enagement with the IAEA.

"In view of the statement of the Prime Minister that the government would approach the IAEA very soon, that time (for withdrawal) has now come." He said the Left parties had sought an appointment to meet the President tomorrow to formally convey their decision to withdraw outside support to the government during the past 50 months.

Mr Karat told mediapersons that the July 10 meeting of the UPA-Left panel had been rendered meaningless. "There is no meaning in attending the July 10 meeting also because the government has not so far made available the text of the IAEA negotiations." UNI KSA/PMD/SH PK RK1300