| The two Left parties are meeting here tomorrow to decide whether to shift immediately to issue-based support to the UPA government or give it more time to change course. |
| The CPI(M), the big brother of the four Left parties, has convened a meeting of its Politburo while the CPI, the oldest Communist party in India, will hold a meeting of its Central Secretariat. |
| Though the date of the CPI(M) meet was decided much earlier, the CPI's top decision-making body is meeting ahead of schedule in view of the 123 agreement. |
| The differences between the UPA and its Left supporters over the agreement refuse to narrow. Even a breakfast meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat couldn't clear the air. |
| According to sources, the two Left parties will take a call on shifting gear from the present common minimum programme-based support to issue-based support. |
| There is also a strong demand from the MPs of these parties that the UPA-Left coordination committee be scrapped officially. The two parties are also expected to chalk out mass awareness programmes against the government's economic and political policies. |
| The Politburo will also decide the course of action of the party's parliamentary wing. Basudeb Acharia, the CPI(M) leader in the Lok Sabha, said, "Our stand will be decided by the Politburo. After the Politburo meet, we will know how to tackle the discussion on the Indo-US nuclear deal inside Parliament." |
| "We will certainly not recommend pulling out support to the UPA government but will work out ways to step up pressure to make the government more accountable to the people," said a Politburo member. |
| The National Secretary of the CPI, Sudhakar Reddy, said, "Our next step will be decided tomorrow." |
| After the meetings, the four Left parties will sit together to evolve a joint strategy. Despite the war of words, it is unlikely that Left will pull out of the government immediately. |
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