With just two days to go for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's White House visit, there still seem to be no clear indication on the status of the Indo-US civil nuclear deal with both the US administration and the Congress bogged down over the financial crisis in the country.
The focus has shifted to bail out the country from the economic turmoil and the administration is trying hard to iron out the parameters and specifics of the nearly USD 1 Trillion package that is being put through to stabilise frightened markets.
One of the legislative strategies being discussed recently is that of attaching the Financial Package to the 'Continuing Resolution' that is needed to fund the government past the end of the month.
Some are hoping that the civilian nuclear deal will also be attached to this resolution so that the Congress can pass one Omnibus measure prior to its adjournment for the season.
However, the Bush administration is pressing hard to form an "acceptable framework and language" to get the deal approved with parleys going on till late last evening at the aides level between the Senate and the House of Representatives on the Text of a Resolution of Approval of the nuclear agreement.
Administration officials were at one time quite hopeful that the India agreement would be ready to get through the Congress prior to the adjournment of September 26, perhaps even readying themselves for a signing ceremony at the time of the Bush-Singh meeting scheduled for September 25.
