No consensus over nuke deal in UPA-Left meeting

NEW DELHI: The crucial meeting of the UPA-Left committee on the Indo-US nuclear deal was held here on Tuesday, amid strong and divergent views expressed by both sides on the issue that further fuelled speculation about mid-term polls.
  
All participants of the 15-member panel took part in the meeting held at the office of External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, the chairman of the committee, in South Block.
 
Even as there was a talk of another round of discussions between the sides parties early next week, the Left parties are likely to meet later in the day to take stock of the situation.
 
Both sides had exchanged notes on the subject to be taken up for discussion on Tuesday.
  
The meeting comes in the backdrop of widening of rift on the nuclear deal with Left parties rejecting a plea of the government that it be allowed to engage in negotiations with the IAEA.
    
In their note, the four parties supporting the Congress-led coalition from outside have asked the government whether it can assure that India's foreign and security policies would not be compromised with the global American interests due to the Indo-US defence and nuclear agreements.
  
The government has sent its reply to the Left note.