New Delhi/ Chennai, Oct 30 : U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here on Monday evening and discussed the possibility of opening up the Indian economy and the ongoing controversy over the Indo-US nuclear deal.

The deal has created a stand-off between the Singh led UPA Government and the Left parties, which provide outside support to the coalition government.

The Communists say the deal hurts India's sovereignty and could lead to US hegemony in the region.

Meanwhile, the Left has assured that there is no threat to the Central Government.

Prakash Karat, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of India
(Marxist)CPI (M), said this after meeting Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi in Chennai.

"As far as we are concerned, there is no threat to the government. There is no crisis in the government," he said.

Karat also said that the Left is interested in pursuing a common approach on the deal in Parliament.

"We discussed about the nuclear deal. We are interested in all parties having a common approach on the nuclear issue, when it comes up for discussion in Parliament in the winter session," he said.

The deal faces an informal US deadline related to securing approval of America's Congress well before presidential polls next year.

Last week, U.S. Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns, Washington's main negotiator for the pact, said India did not have an unlimited amount of time. U.S secretary of State Condoleezza Rice too has ruled negotiation of the deal.

The Bush Administration wants the agreement to go to Congress for its backing by the end of the year, Burns said in New York on Tuesday. (ANI)