A day after All India Congress Committee President Sonia Gandhi [Images] strongly defended the nuclear deal with the United States, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Sriprakash Jaiswal said that there was no going back on the 123 Agreement. He added that if necessary, the Congress was ready to sacrifice the United Progressive Allaince government.

''We are even ready to sacrifice the UPA Government,'' the senior Congress leader told reporters in Hyderabad on Monday.

Defending the UPA government's decision to enter into an agreement with Washington in spite of strong opposition by the Left Front, he said the country had to generate more power to overcome shortage, step up economic growth and eradicate poverty and unemployment.

''We have no option but to tap nuclear energy as there is no scope for increasing hydel and thermal power generation. They pose environmental problems, too," Jaiswal said.