In spite of the their threat of withdrawing from the United Progressive Alliance if the government approaches the International Atomic Energy Agency about the safeguards agreement, senior leaders of the Left Front are toying with the idea of attending the meeting of the UPA-Left joint committee on June 25. The Left Front leaders want to hear External Affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee's final report on the nuclear deal, before taking a final decision about the matter.
"I spoke to Prakash Karat and other Left leaders, and my impression is that the Left parties would attend the meeting called by the government on June 25," said Revolutionary Socialist Party leader Abani Roy.
A B Bardhan and D Raja, senior leaders of the Communist party of India, could not be reached for comment. But a senior official of the party confirmed that Left parties would attend the crucial meeting. "It will help the Left front assess the situation," he said.
CPI-M leader Vrinda Karat refused to comment on the issue. Mukherjee, who left for Vienna last night with National Security Advisor M K Narayanan, had made it clear that the government will not change its stance on the nuclear deal.