"The government is expected to take full credit for the civilian nuclear agreement it entered with the United States and is unlikely to go on the defensive," said Anand K. Sahay, a noted political analyst.

The main opposition Bhartiya Janata Party, under whose 1996-2001 term India acquired nuclear weapons, has criticized the agreement. Former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee expressed concern about India's decision to allow inspections of its civilian nuclear facilities by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog.

"The opposition BJP and NDA will not drag the issue of civilian nuclear agreement beyond a point because it was they who brought the pro-U.S. shift in India's foreign and nuclear policy," Yashwant Deshmukh, another analyst said.

The NDA refers to the National Democratic Alliance, which previously governed India with the BJP at its head.

He said though the Left parties, which support the current government, oppose the agreement and will raise the matter in Parliament, they are not likely to press their concerns. Singh has said he will make a detailed statement on his visit to the United States and the civilian nuclear agreement reached between the two countries.

Under the deal announced Monday in Washington, the United States, breaking from its longstanding policy, said it would provide India with access to civilian nuclear technology. India is not a signatory to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and though it has nuclear weapons is not regarded as nuclear weapons state. The U.S. deal is said to grant it de facto recognition as one.

The issue is expected to dominate proceedings of Parliament on the first day of the nearly monthlong session.

"Both the BJP and left parties are expected to stretch out debates and make strong (noises), but it is unlikely that either will seek to censure the government on this question because civil nuclear agreement has wide acceptability," said Sahay.

The monsoon session of Indian Parliament will have 23 sittings spread over 33 days and concludes Aug. 26.

Political issues expected to come up during the session include the presentation of an outcome budget, remarks of BJP President Lal Krishna Advani on Pakistan's founder, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, and its fallout, disinvestment of government equity in Bharat Heavy Electrical Limited, a profit-making company, and the forthcoming assembly elections in eastern Bihar state.

The government is likely to move important bills like the Rural Employment Guarantee Bill and Payment of Wages (Amendment) Bill.

The government's task is expected to be smooth given the divided state of the opposition, analysts said.

"As the main opposition party, the BJP will be severely hampered in the session on account of its internal problems and the government should take advantage of it," Sahay noted.

In the previous session of parliament, the BJP frequently boycotted proceedings, accusing the government of not cooperating with the opposition. This time, however, the opposition has decided to actively participate in debates and other business. The decision to lift the boycott was taken at a meeting of opposition leaders.

"The BJP will not boycott the proceedings of the Parliament in monsoon session," BJP parliamentary spokesman Vijay Kumar Malhotra told United Press International.

BJP leaders Thursday met Speaker Somnath Chatterjee and urged him to allow the opposition to raise issues of public importance. The speaker thanked them for returning to parliamentary proceedings and assured them they would be given time to raise matters.

"The BJP and its NDA allies are expected to get the opposition space that was their due," Malhotra said.

The left parties have declared they will take the government head on over the issue of disinvestments of BHEL.

Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said he would come out with an outcome budget, which would highlight the performance of the United Progressive Alliance government.

Chidambaram has drawn flak from the left parties for his role in the BHEL disinvestment. He has been of the view that disinvestment of profit making public-sector companies are the only way to come out of a financial crisis.

When their pleas were ignored, the left parties boycotted the UPA Coordination Committee meetings, in which they regularly take part.

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