<b>Nuke Row</b>: Sonia to hold talks with Cong leaders

Congress president Sonia Gandhi is returning from South Africa by evening today, and will be holding talks with top party leaders, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, on ways and means to resolve the crisis for the government over the Indo-US nuclear deal.

A meeting of the Congress core group is scheduled in the evening where she is expected to hold talks with the party's top brass on the crisis - a day after CPI(M) appeared to be softening its stance.

Gandhi is also expected to meet Left leaders. Party sources indicated that efforts to defuse the situation could be mounted after her return.

The Congress president has cut short her visit, which was earlier planned for four days, by dropping Durban from her itinerary amidst the on-going stand-off with Left allies over the Indo-US nuclear deal.