New Delhi, Mar 3: As the US continues to press India to conclude the nuclear deal at the earliest, Government on Monday said efforts were on to evolve a broad political consensus on the issue.

Making a suo moto statement in the Lok Sabha, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee defended the initiative, saying it was essential to ensure end to an "unfair technology denial" regime and sanctions faced by India for over three decades.

"We will continue to seek broad political consensus within the country to take forward our engagement on this issue with other countries," Mukherjee said.

He did not elaborate but was clearly referring to efforts to overcome the stiff opposition by the Left allies to operationalisation of the deal with the US.

Seeking to allay the apprehensions of Left and other parties over the Hyde Act, Mukherjee said the legislation was an enabling provision between the Executive and Legislative organs of the US and India will have civil nuclear cooperation with the US under the 123 Agreement only.

"India's rights and obligations regarding the civil nuclear cooperation with the US arise only from the bilateral 123 agreement agreed upon with the US," he said.

In the same vein, CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta told PTI "if the government proceeds in the direction of finalising the deal, we will be free to decide our own course of action and the course is known to the government."

RSP leader Aboni roy also warned of serious consequences incase the government operationalised the deal. BJP said it will continue its opposition to the deal and pitch for a renegotiation if it comes to power.

"Our stand on the nuclear deal is unchanged. We oppose it in the present form. BJP would renegotiate the deal if it comes to power," party leader Murli Manohar Joshi said.

BJP rejects govt's plea on Hyde Act

Maintaining opposition to the Indo-US civil nuclear deal, BJP on Monday rejected government's argument that the Hyde Act would have no bearing on the agreement and asked it not to operationalise it.

Soon after External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee made a statement on the nuclear deal in the Lok Sabha, the opposition party said the government should not go ahead to operationalise the deal, as there was no consensus on it.

Mukherjee's statement that the Hyde Act "is not binding on us is opposite to the statement by American official. Government should make the situation clear," BJP spokesperson Vijay Kumar Malhotra told reporters here.

Cautioning the government against going ahead with the deal without consensus, he said, "consensus should not be merely with the Left parties."

Senior BJP leader Murli Manmohar Joshi said his party is opposed to the deal in the present form and wants it to be renegotiated.

"Our stand on the nuclear deal is unchanged and we oppose it in the present form. BJP would renegotiate the deal if it comes to power," Joshi said.

Left warns of 'consequences'

Expressing dissatisfaction over the government's assertion that Hyde Act was not binding on India, Left parties on Monday warned of serious consequences if the civil nuclear deal with the US was operationalised. "We don't agree with the government that the Hyde Act's implications do not exist for India. ... We don't think that the government should proceed to operationalise the deal," party CPM Politburo member Sitaram Yechury said here.

In the same vein, CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta said: "If the government proceeds in the direction of finalising the deal, we will be free to decide our own course of action and the course is known to the government." RSP leader Aboni Roy also warned of serious consequences in case the govt went ahead the deal.

The reactions came after External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee's statement in Parliament on foreign policy issues, including the nuclear deal. Mukherjee said the Hyde Act was an enabling provision between the executive and the legislative organs of the US Government and "India's rights and obligations regarding civil nuclear cooperation with the US arise only from the bilateral 123 Agreement agreed upon with the US."

Reacting to the statement, Yechury said though Hyde Act was an enabling provision, the US legislature had given a waiver to President George Bush to enter into civil nuclear cooperation with India "under conditions listed in the Act."

Maintaining that these conditions would adversely affect India's independent foreign policy, Yechury said they would have serious implications on India's foreign policy, make New Delhi a part of the US global security strategy and draw it into a military alliance with the US.