World | India
Singh silences foes winning biggest battle of his career
Manmohan Singh's apolitical background and squeaky-clean image were also his biggest assets. His name did not figure in any coterie or corruption scandals.
- Los Angeles Times-Washington Post
- Published: 00:03 July 23, 2008
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New Delhi: When a mild-mannered, Oxford-educated economist unexpectedly became India's prime minister four years ago, many feared he would be a puppet of his party's top leader.
After all, he had never won a direct election and was seen as too academic for the intrigue and intensity of Indian politics. But Manmohan Singh's apolitical background and squeaky-clean image were also his biggest assets. His name did not figure in any coterie or corruption scandals.
Reforms
As finance minister in the 1990s, he had fearlessly heralded India's economic reforms by quoting Victor Hugo: "No power on earth can stop an idea whose time has come."
Now, as prime minister, the blue-turbaned Sikh fought off the biggest political battle of his career to implement another radical initiative, one that he hopes will transform India in the 21st century: the historic nuclear energy agreement with the United States.
The agreement would give India access to nuclear fuel and technology, even though it has refused to sign the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty.
For months, however, the deal appeared to be near collapse because of opposition from Singh's allies and adversaries. Critics said it would erode India's sovereignty, tying the country to US strategic interests and taking away its right to conduct nuclear tests.
When Singh, 75, dug in his heels and staked his reputation on the deal, the old charges about his lack of political acumen resurfaced.
Colleagues and political observers wondered whether it was worth fighting for an issue that risked pushing the government towards an early election.
Singh's term ends next May, and his Congress party was wary of going to the polls at a time when inflation rates are at a 13-year high.
Some political analysts said the prime minister was trying to leave his mark on history.
"Manmohan Singh has taken things to the brink this time for the sake of this nuclear deal. But it is difficult to see how the political parties will turn the nuclear deal into an election issue. It does not have the resonance to move the electorate," said Mahesh Rangarajan, an independent political analyst in New Delhi.
An opinion poll recently found that 73 per cent of those living in India's big cities said inflation was a more pressing issue than the nuclear deal.
The Left's recent withdrawal of support to the government precipitated a political crisis that led to Tuesday's trust vote, which the government won.
Some observers say that because Singh is not a natural politician, his presentation of the nuclear deal was clumsy.
He failed to adequately highlight the benefits of the deal in a country where remnants of Cold War-era anti-Americanism remain. Others said Singh made the battle too personal.
"He handled the whole issue in an extremely divisive manner. The prime minister made no attempt to consult either his allies or opponents.
He kept the deal too close to his chest, made it entirely personal. In the process, he has created a political situation that is so deeply fractured around this deal," said Yashwant Sinha, a Bharatiya Janata Party MP.
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