Vijay Kumar Malhotra, deputy leader of the Bhaartiya Janata Party in Lok Sabha, has said that the Indo-US nuclear deal is not something whose fate can be decided by a committee of Congress and the Left parties.

Addressing newspersons at Parliament House Complex, Malhotra demanded setting up a joint parliamentary committee to probe the deal.

"This is not a family affair, which can be decided by the United Progressive Alliance and the Left parties. The issue is a national issue and hence members of other parties should also be included in the joint parliamentary committee.

"Until the matter is probed and a report submitted, the government should not operationalise the deal," he demanded.

Even the United National Progressive Alliance has demanded setting up of joint parliamentary probe. Congress has already rejected the demand.

Senior Congress leaders who were present in the complex denied that the government was thinking of setting up any joint committee at the moment to sort out the matter.

"What is the point of setting up a committee if the Left is going to reject it outright," a close confidant of Sonia Gandhi [Images] said as he explained the present situation to mediapersons.

He admitted that the situation was not very good and the country may have to go in for mid-term polls if the Left does not change its stand and arrive at some deal.

He denied that External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee will make any statement right now.

"The statement will come only if there is a debate in the house. Left parties are not only demanding a discussion, but also non-operation of the deal. That is not acceptable," he explained.