The visitors were not unexpected, for Patil had been told of this possibility by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh before he left for Japan to attend a G-8 meeting.
Even so, the withdrawal of support by the Left was not without bitterness, which spilled over when CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat released a two-page statement on the reasons the Left withdrew its support to the government.
"We cannot be a party to a government which is callous to the sufferings of the people and whose priority is to fulfil its commitment to US President George Bush and not to the people of India," said Karat.
Charging the government with "disregarding" Parliament on the nuclear deal issue, Karat said the discussions in both Houses had proved that the majority of the MPs were against the deal.
The government, he said, had "violated" the November 16, 2007, understanding arrived at the UPA-Left Coordination Committee that any further step would be taken only after the committee finalised its findings. Karat said he was open to cooperation with parties with similar views on the nuclear deal to vote the government out.
More From This Section
Referring to External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee's statement that the text of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) draft on the safeguards agreement was "classified", he said, "We would like to know who has declared it classified? We would like to know whether it is the government's decision to ask the IAEA to keep it classified."
In this context, he said a protocol that the United States was discussing with the IAEA had been made available to all members of US Congress and could be accessed on the Internet.
"Are we to believe that the IAEA has one standard for the US and another for India? No text is confidential at the IAEA unless the government concerned wants it to be," Karat said.
He sounded the most bitter while talking about the prime minister, who he said "has always looked up to the United States". Karat said, "Let them also learn good things from the US. The Bush Administration made it (the draft protocol) available to Congress. Anybody can access it on the Internet."
"At all steps of this notorious deal, the Manmohan Singh government has not been transparent. The country will not accept the deal till all issues raised by the entire opposition, the Left parties and large sections are clarified," Karat said.
Rashtrapati Bhavan will now remain the scene of action for some time since the president will have to call for a session of Parliament to enable the government to prove its majority. In this context, the prime minister, who is expected to return from Japan tonight, is likely to meet Patil at 7 pm tomorrow.
After the SP withdrew its support, its leaders were asked if they would be able to keep their flock together. "Names of the parliamentarians who fought on the SP symbol are there in the letter and they are bound by the party whip," said party General Secretary Amar Singh.
He said rebel Samajwadi MPs Beni Prasad Verma and Atiq Ahmed had also promised their support to the UPA government. Independent MP Baleshwar Yadav would also back the government, Singh said.