'Bush-bashers are not Muslims'

New Delhi: The Central Government has said that the anti-Bush protests will not influence long term strategic decisions.

The Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma told CNN-IBN that the protests do not mirror the sentiments of the minority community.

After signing the nuclear deal with US, Prime Minster Manmohan Singh is out to convince the biggest critics of the agreement -- Left parties and Muslims groups, government sources said.

The Left parties held massive protests in Parliament and at Delhi's Ramlila Grounds on Thursday.

Violent protests were also held by Muslim groups across the country and four people died in clashes in Lucknow on Thursday.

Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma said the governemnt was not afraid of a backlash from the minorities as the protestors do not represent Indian Muslims.

According to the sources, the nuclear deal went through only after the intervention of Manmohan Singh and George W Bush.

The PM will have a tough time convincing the Left the reason for entering into the nuclear deal with the US as it comes right after India voted against Iran at the IAEA.

With five states going to polls in a month's time the Left would like to corner the Congress over the Indo-US deal and economic policies.

The PM has said that India's nuclear programme is not aimed at any community or country.

Senior government sources also told CNN-IBN that talks on closing the nuclear deal started right at the tarmac of Delhi airport when Bush arrived.

The US delegation had concerns about permanent safeguards for India's nuclear programme, but the PM made it clear that would not come unconditionally.

Sources also said that India is aware of the hurdles that Bush faces in getting the deal passed through Congress in the US, but the Indian government is hopeful that it will go through.

It was also revealed that India has started lobbying at Capitol Hill in Washington to push the deal through.

The lobbyists will point out that India's N-deal is not a threat to Pakistan, China or the US.

On Thursday some US Congressmen had said that the nuclear deal with India was not in the interest of the US but according to sources President Bush has told Manmohan Singh that the deal would eventually be passed by the Congress.

US Senator John Kerry, who had apprehensions on the N-deal, has been convinced by the PM that India's nuclear programme is not directed against any country.