The government has decided to bite the nuclear bullet. It’s all set to defy the Left’s veto and approach the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) by mid-July for ratification of the Indiaspecific safeguards if it secures the likely support of the Samajwadi Party (SP). After days of brinkmanship in public and closed-door parleys, it’s now clear that the Congress is all set to sever its ties with the Left over the deal if the SP provides it with the Lok Sabha numbers.

The SP, which has responded positively to feelers from the Congress leadership, will publicly reveal its hand after it has gone through the motions of consulting its UNPA fellow constituents on July 3. Talks between the two sides for an understanding are in an advanced stage and, sources say, they are proceeding satisfactorily. A ‘yes’ from Mulayam Singh Yadav will enable PM Manmohan Singh to tell world leaders, chiefl y US President George Bush, at the G8 summit at Hokkaido in Japan that his government has not dropped the deal after all.

The PM has cited loss of face with the international community while lobbying the Congress to take the deal through the remaining laps. If everything goes according to script, a government team will leave for Vienna soon after the PM’s return on July 9 and after the Congress completes the formality of endorsing the government’s decision. What is equally clear, however, is that the Congress leadership will balk if the SP does not provide a buffer against the Left pullout. It’s not looking at a poll this year, with the scary prospect of rising infl ation likely to exact a high cost at the hustings.

The SP’s rescue drill may start as early as July 2 when a key government functionary is scheduled to brief Mulayam and Amar Singh on the deal. Sources close to the party say the SP is open to any ‘fresh persepctive’ on the deal—a