WASHINGTON, April 2: India’s efforts to get congressional approval for a nuclear deal with the US received a major jolt when members of its own caucus on the Hill co-sponsored a bill opposing the agreement. Officials at the Indian Embassy in Washington were shocked when they learned this weekend that of the 18 US lawmakers who have tabled a motion against the nuclear deal at least 10 are members of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans.

The caucus was set up in the 1990s to create a pocket of Indian influence on Capitol Hill, the site of the US Senate and the House of Representatives.

But the Indians realised all was not well in their camp when their foreign secretary, Shayam Saran, had to face some penetrating questions about the deal from the members of this group. Mr Saran left for home this weekend after spending three days in Washington as part of New Delhi’s efforts to win over US lawmakers.

During one of his meetings with the lawmakers, Senator Lantos, a Democrat from California, recalled that an Iranian naval ship had stopped at the Indian port city of Cochin in February, ahead of President Bush’s landmark visit to India.

Mr Lantos wanted to know if this indicated further strengthening of India’s defence ties with Iran, reminding Mr Saran that New Delhi had also signed a defence pact with Tehran. He told the Indian foreign secretary that New Delhi cannot maintain close ties with Iran and still hope to get nuclear cooperation from the US.

The House resolution against the nuclear deal has been tabled by Republican Fred Upton in association with Democrat Edward Markey.

Congressman Markey is playing a key role in opposing the Indo-US nuclear agreement. Even before the legislation seeking congressional approval for the deal was introduced in Congress, Mr Markey had made it known that he would be opposing it because he believed it would hurt non-proliferation.

The Indians, who have hired two major law firms and have lined up dozens of American businessmen to generate support for the deal, always knew that it would not be easy to get congressional approval, particularly in a year when political polarisation in Washington is probably at its sharpest.

But what they did not expect was opposition from the much-touted Indian caucus, billed as the largest caucus in the US Congress on any one country.

They were also surprised at the strong opposition they were facing from the Democrats, who otherwise are generally more supportive of Indian causes than their Republican colleagues. But now some prominent Democrats, such as Joe Biden and Barack Obama, are openly opposing the nuclear pact.

The Indian lobbies in the US seem particularly worried about New York Democrat Senator Hilary Clinton who receives a large amount of campaign funding from Indian Americans, but has, so far, been silent on the deal.

Over the Easter holiday, India will have yet another chance to lobby with senior US lawmakers, including Ted Kennedy, Chuck Hagel and Dennis Hastert, when they visit India.