Congress core group meets again on N-deal

New Delhi, Aug 19 (UNI) The high-powered Congress core group went into a huddle this evening to arrive at a mechanism that would address the concerns of the Left parties over the India-US nuclear deal.

It is the second meeting of the core group in the past 24 hours since CPI (M) General Secretary Prakash Karat warned the Government of ''serious consequences'' if the deal was operationalised.

The meeting is being held at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Race Course residence to break the impasse created by the Left's ultimatum on the nuclear deal.

Besides Dr Singh, the meeting is being attended by party chief Sonia Gandhi and Union Ministers Pranab Mukherjee, Shivraj Patil, A K Antony, Arjun Singh and Ahmed Patel.

At an hour-long meeting with Mr Mukherjee earlier in the day, CPI (M) Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury is understood to have said that the crisis could be resolved if the mechanism to evaluate the implications of the Hyde Act-- the bone of contention for the Left parties in the nuclear deal-- was created.

The Prime Minister and Mrs Gandhi are expected to meet the UPA allies later in the evening to build up a common front on the nuclear deal.

UNI