Nuclear deal depends on Sonia Gandhi's stance

24 June 2008

To discuss the possibilities of that meeting between the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and the Left, Editor-in-Chief of CNN-IBN, Rajdeep Sardesai, believes it depends on where Sonia Gandhi stands.

His gut feeling is that Sonia Gandhi is now finally inclined to back the Prime Minister. "For the first time she is trying to tell the allies 'look push me this much and no further," he said.

CNBC-TV 18 shares with domain-b, its excerpts of its interview with Sardesai

48 hours to that crucial meeting; last week we thought the allies were backing what the Prime Minister was saying, today it seems like a different story.
I think they still are backing the nuclear deal in general, but I think when it comes to specifics of the worry - that should the deal go ahead, will the Left withdraw support and if the Left withdraws support, will the government fall? The allies are getting worried. They do not want an election just now, they do not want an election at a time when there is double-digit inflation; they do not want an election when they are under pressure in states like Karunanidhi in Tamil Nadu and Lalu Prasad Yadav in Bihar.

Can you work out a middle path?
There is much talk about the middle path. Lord Buddha took years to evolve the middle path, politicians we do not know. But the few that we have spoken to are suggesting that at least on June 25, the crisis will not be precipitated; both sides will reiterate stated positions, there will be another round of meetings, I think it will stretch to early to mid-July. Till that Group of Eight countries (G8) meeting, which the Prime Minister is supposed to attend, in the next two-three weeks, it is possible that the two sides will finally have to confront each other. The PM is not bending, the Left is not bending, how do you then find the middle path?

What is Sonia Gandhi going to do in a situation like this?
The options are frankly limited beyond buying time. If the middle path is buying time then that is what is happening. Effectively both the sides, particularly the Congress allies and the Congress and its allies, are trying to buy time preferably for a month or two. They would like to stave this off till September, if it is possible.