The much-awaited trip of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Karunanidhi to New Delhi, during which he was expected to meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to discuss the contentious India-United States nuclear agreement, has been cancelled.
Karunanidhi decided to cancel his trip after the release function of a book by former prime minister V P Singh, which the Dravida Munnera Kazhagam chief was expected to attend, was cancelled.
Communist Party of India-Marxist General Secretary Prakash Karat and Communist Party of India National Secretary D Raja had met Karunanidhi on Sunday to discuss the current stand-off between the Left Front and the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government.
The Left leaders, who have been trying to build up support for their opposition to the nuclear deal, approached the veteran leader, as the DMK is a key ally in the ruling collation. The Left leaders reportedly requested Karunanidhi to urge Dr Singh and Gandhi to concentrate on bringing the spiraling inflation under control, as the rising prices were more important that the nuclear deal.
The Left leaders are presently camping in Chennai to bring together political parties that are against the Indo-US nuclear deal. "We are still in Chennai and we would clarify the situation once we are back in Delhi," D Raja told rediff.com.
Karunanidhi has made it clear that he would go along with the decision taken by the Centre on the nuclear deal.
Political experts are now waiting for External Affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee's return from his visit to Australia, when he is expected to meet the leaders of the Left parties to seek a solution to this major crisis.