Washington: India has made it clear that it will not move forward on the civil nuclear deal with the US till a political consensus is achieved and that government was making efforts to evolve a ''meeting ground'' with outside supporters Left parties.

''If we are able to evolve a consensus then it will be possible to hasten the process (of taking the deal forward),'' visiting External Affairs Minister Mukherjee told reporters.

Meanwhile, the US nudged India into concluding the agreement with the IAEA and seek NSG waiver by May to give the Congress time to have a final vote on the deal. The Left is opposed to the deal.

Mukherjee, who met US President George W Bush at the White House for 35 minutes and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Wednesday, said UPA government is ''interested'' in pursuing the Indo-US civil nuclear deal and that it was aware of the timeframe suggested by members of the US Congress but certain issues were yet to be resolved.

Conveying to Mukherjee Washington's desire to take the deal forward, Rice had said it is a ''landmark agreement which is good for both sides....we will continue to work on that agreement.''

''''Let us see. Events have their own momentum'', said Mukherjee when asked by when he expected the political process in India to be hastened.

''The UPA government is trying to work out a meeting ground between it and a section of its supporters (to evolve a consensus),'' said Mukherjee who is on his maiden bilateral visit to the US.

Mukherjee said ''there is opposition from the Left and the BJP to the nuclear deal and therefore we have to take into account that....if it is subsequently not honoured by the next government it would lead to en embarrassing situation for the country.''

Mukherjee said although India has finalised the language of the safeguards text with the IAEA it was difficult to indicate at this juncture a time-frame by when the nuke deal could be wrapped up.

To a question whether the Congress-led coalition will sacrifice the government for the deal, Mukehrjee said ''it is not a question of sacrificing the deal or the government.''

The Left parties have threatened withdrawal of support to the UPA government if it went ahead with operationalising the agreement for the deal which has been described as a landmark one by the US.

Source : PTI