NEW DELHI, Sept 5: India’s opposition parties have paralysed both houses of parliament over a divisive nuclear deal with the United States, prompting the government to set a debate to avert a drift towards mid-term polls. But there may be no takers for the offer that is too little, too late.

Bharatiya Janata Party’s lawmakers and their NDA allies trooped into the well of both houses and raised slogans against the setting up of a UPA-Left panel to go into the deal. They demanded that the government, instead, should constitute a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) on the divisive agreement. The government is not planning to entertain the request, which raises the chances of an early closure of parliament’s current session, analysts said.

Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee tried to assure the houses that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would participate in the debate if the opposition would allow a discussion. The BJP was adamant not to budge from its demand for parliamentary probe in the deal which it says was aimed at compromising the country’ sovereignty.