New Delhi (PTI): The Congress-led coalition at the Centre was on Tuesday likened to a "motorcar" whose brakes were with the Left parties while it was riding without a driver.

Senior leader Jaswant Singh told the party's National Council that earlier he used to believe that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was in the driver's seat but has now realised that he is not.

"The UPA is like a motorcar. The steering and accelerator is with 10, Janpath while the brakes are with Communists. Earlier I though Manmohan Singh was in the driver's seat but I have come to know that he is not," Singh said.

10, Janpath is the official residence of Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

Another senior leader Arun Shourie was also caustic about the UPA government remarking that its posture on the nuclear deal showed that it had "taken helplessness to new heights."

He was referring to Government's decision to accept the US condition to open two-third of India's nuclear plants (14 out of 22) for international inspection.

Shourie said the US, UK, France, Russia and China have opened only five plants out of 107 for such inspection but India alone decided to open 14 of its nuclear plants.

"These countries were even accorded prior notice facility for IAEA inspections. We don't have that," he said.