Aug. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said he's confident of winning Communist support for a nuclear accord with the U.S., overcoming the resistance of allies who have demanded the government halt talks.

``There is some turbulence here in Delhi,'' Singh told reporters today at a joint briefing with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the Indian federal capital. ``I am confident we shall be able to overcome it. As someone said, if winter's here, can spring be far behind?''

Singh's government and the nuclear accord are threatened by opposition from the multiparty coalition's Communist allies, who say the terms of the agreement violate India's sovereignty and tie the South Asian nation to U.S. interests.

The threat to Singh's government became more pronounced after the four Communist parties resisted the administration's move to negotiate safeguards with the International Atomic Energy Agency and to secure the support of the Nuclear Suppliers' Group.

The ruling coalition has 226 seats in the 545-seat lower house, or Lok Sabha, 47 short of a majority. That backing is provided by the communists, who have 59 seats.

The central committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), or the CPI (M), is meeting in New Delhi to assess the political options before the Communist combine.

The communist parties have warned Singh of ``serious consequences'' if the government proceeds with the nuclear accord with the U.S. The agreement would allow India to purchase reactors from Areva SA, General Electric Co. and other producers to help plug an electricity shortfall that shaves two percentage points off annual economic growth.

Japan's Support

The Indian prime minister sought Japan's backing for the civil nuclear energy deal.

``I hope when it comes to the'' Nuclear Suppliers' Group, India will have the support of Japan, Singh said at the briefing.

The Japanese prime minister said he was conscious of India's need to step up energy production.

``Japan certainly is aware of the strategic importance of India,'' Abe said. ``Japan understands the necessity of India to try and respond to increasing energy demands by utilizing nuclear energy.''

India's $854-billion economy has grown at an average 8.6 percent pace since 2003, the fastest expansion since the country's independence in 1947. Oil imports in June rose 10 percent to $5.6 billion from a year earlier, the government said Aug. 1. The country's urban clusters suffer from severe power shortages and brownouts are common in most parts of the country.

Prime Minister Abe didn't make any promises on whether his country would back India.

``We will watch very closely, the implications this matter will have on the non-proliferation regime and nuclear disarmament,'' Abe said. ``It is essential for India to address appropriately negotiations with the IAEA in order to respond to the concerns of Japan and the international community. We intend to engage in international negotiations in a thorough manner.''

To contact the reporters on this story: Cherian Thomas in New Delhi at cthomas1@bloomberg.net; Keiichi Yamamura in New Delhi at kyamamura@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: August 22, 2007 11:47 EDT