New Delhi, July 09: Barely an hour after the NDA constituents led by BJP demanded that the government be asked to prove its majority within a week, President Pratibha Patil on Wednesday asked Prime Minister to meet her on Thursday.

With the Left parties formally withdrawing support to the UPA government which is bracing itself for a confidence vote, the game of numbers on Wednesday acquired greater intensity.

Earlier in the day, top leaders of CPM, CPI, Forward Bloc and RSP met President Pratibha Patil at Rashtrapati Bhavan and handed over separate letters withdrawing support and a joint communication asking her to "direct the Prime Minister to seek a vote of confidence in the Lok Sabha immediately".

Shortly after the Left's move, the Samajwadi Party submitted a fresh letter to the President backing the government.

A war of words erupted with the Left leaders accusing the Government and the Congress leadership of "disregarding" the majority voice in Parliament on the "notorious" nuclear deal and "always looking up to the US".

Hitting back, the Congress said during the course of a series of meetings with the UPA the Left never objected to government not giving to it the full text of the draft agreement with the IAEA.

With the support of SP, PDP and some Independents, the government hopes to garner 272 for a simple majority in the Lok Sabha which has an effective strength of 543.Ajit Singh-led RLD, JD(S) headed by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, Mamta Bannerjee's Trinamul Congress and TRS come in the "undecided" category but have given enough hints of backing the government in a trust vote.

Meanwhile, turning down the Left's demand of making public the draft of safeguards agreement with IAEA, Congress had said "confidential" nuclear information cannot be divulged at the height of international terrorism.

"At a time when international terrorism is at a height documents containing clauses of confidentiality cannot be divulged," Congress spokesman Manish Tiwari told reporters.

Congress' reaction came as a response to a demand from the Left parties to make public the text of the draft safe-guards agreement which is to be finalised with the IAEA.

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