Ahead of the crucial meeting of the United Progressive Alliance-Left committee on the nuclear deal, the Communist Party of India (M) on Tuesday asked the government not to operationalise the controversial agreement with the United States for at least six months.

Addressing a CPI(M) rally against the deal here, party general secretary Prakash Karat said the government should wait for a full-fledged discussion on the Indo-US nuclear deal in Parliament before proceeding with it.

"Do not operationalise the deal for at least six months. The government should wait for the outcome of a discussion in Parliament before taking any decision," Karat said.

The Left parties have already submitted a note containing their apprehensions over the nuclear deal and the Hyde Act, to which the government has responded. These notes would come up for discussion at the third meeting of the Left-UPA panel in New Delhi on Wednesday.