Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh on Monday night held talks with External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee in New Delhi on the Indo-US nuclear deal, the first contact between the two parties since the stand-off between the United Progressive Alliance government and Left parties erupted a fortnight ago.
Left moots correct time to pull out
During the meeting, held at the residence of Mukherjee, the government's pointsman for the deal, Singh was understood to have been briefed about the deal and the steps India would have to take in the coming weeks to push it through.
The meeting between the two leaders came soon after Singh, whose party's 39 lawmakers can play a crucial role in helping the government if Left parties withdraw support, appeared to signal that it was not averse to doing business with Congress in the context of the current crisis.
"National crisis does not belong to politics. This belongs to nation. If the Prime Minister of India wants to engage in discussions, it is not wrong to talk (to him). You may agree to disagree but non-communication is the worst thing in politics," Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh said.
The meeting between Singh and Mukherjee assumed significance as the government is looking for support in Lok Sabha in the event of Left pulling the rug.
"Politics should not be, I am emphasising, guided by egos, prejudices, hurt and personal egos. It should be taken in the true context. That is why we have to see what best can be done to avoid this crisis," Singh told NDTV news channel.
Earlier, SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav had given enough indications that his party would not shy away from engaging Congress on the nuclear deal and have a re-look at the agreement if the government came up with 'new logic and facts'.