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| India-Pakistan |
| India govt in crisis: Singh to quit if US N-pact is scrapped |
| 2007-08-20 |
| By Ravi S. Jha NEW DELHI — India’s 40-month old United Progressive Alliance government is in turmoil. The government is likely to fall, much ahead of its full five-year term in April 2009 with its key ally, the Communists, putting the Congress-led UPA on ultimatum over the India-US nuclear deal. Political parties yesterday called for fresh parliamentary elections even though frantic attempts are being made to save the coalition from its untimely perish. However, if the UPA government tactfully manages to save its rule, they will have to let go the nuclear deal with the US forever. This could mean an end to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s tenure with the UPA government as well. Under the aegis of its chairperson and Congress President Sonia Gandhi, the UPA is likely to look for a change of prime minister, sources close to Sonia Gandhi said yesterday. Besides, it is said Dr Singh has unwittingly triggered the present crisis. Dr Singh may have been advised poorly on how to handle his political allies by mentors, but if the deal is scrapped then he would be in an embarrassing position to tell Washington that the much sought-after Indo-US pact is dead. If the the communists — the Left parties — having 59 seats in Parliament withdraw support, the government would fall with the country going for fresh polls. The Congress high command is of the view that scrapping of nuclear deal would mean key modification in India’s foreign policy objectives, and to placate the Left, Dr Singh may offer to quit. Congress sources said Dr Singh did offer to resign once, but Sonia Gandhi along with UPA’s non-Left allies are keen that the decision on this be taken as a last resort. Congress is looking to find a middle ground with the four Left parties — the Communist Party of India, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Revolutionary Socialist Party and the All India Forward Bloc — but to no avail so far. Dr Singh, a pro-economic reforms veteran, has never been a favourite of the Left parties for obvious reasons. Dr Singh also propagated a pro-US foreign policy very much on the lines of his Congress party that kicked off such a strategy of opening to the West way back during the pre-reform years of the then prime minister Narasimha Rao. Dr Singh recently said that the nuclear deal was not renegotiable under any circumstances. Peeved by the manner the Left parties issued political diktats to his government even when supporting the regime from outside, he dared them to withdraw support. Now if the government does decide to scrap the deal, he would have to give up his job, it is believed. Dr Singh is supposed to be a political prime minister having experience in executive more than in politics. It is said if the Left parties are made to conciliate by the Congress to save the government then Dr Singh’s authority will be in question. Dr Singh has stood up with grit for the nuclear deal saying it is in the interest of the nation. His angry outburst against the aggravated communists telling them to ‘take-it-or-leave-it’ has cast a shadow on his political image, if not his capable administrative skills as an honest and refined economist. If he resigns, the Congress may find it difficult to convince the world its global standing of being pro-reforms, if he stays with nuclear deal being intact then it could be worse. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #6 Thank You John... Fingers crossed [naively perhaps] the Nuke deal goes thru! |
| Posted by: Red Dawg 2007-08-20 20:38 |
| #5 #2 Why does it sounds so familiar? |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2007-08-20 15:23 |
| #4 The Chinese are quite anxious over the possibility of an alliance between the US, India, Japan and Australia. |
| Posted by: john frum 2007-08-20 15:21 |
| #3 john, when I started reading your post I wondered if you would mention the Chinese and, sure enough, you did. With the Chicoms lurking around maybe it's better if we don't do this deal. |
| Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 2007-08-20 15:17 |
| #2 Manmohan Singh is more of a "babu" (a bureaucrat) than a "neta" (politician). He has no political base. He is PM precisely because of this. He is a seat-warmer for the "young prince" - Rahul Gandhi. A more powerful Congress politician (like the Defense or Foreign ministers) would be a threat to the succession plans of Sonia Gandhi. They are unsure of how many votes the opposition BJP and their allies may get and a loss of political power now may doom Rahul's chances forever. So the interests of India itself play second fiddle to political machinations. Singh may very well fall on his sword. This would be just another compromise the Congress has made in their deal with the devil (the Communist Party of India (Marxist)). The CPI(M) has forced the Indian government to slow down the pace of economic reform - delaying SEZs (which would employ millions of desperately poor Indians in new manufacturing jobs), preventing labor reforms (which would also increase employment but hurt the unions), blocked FDI (foreign investment) in retail. Chinese interests (the CPI(M) obey their masters in Beijing faithfully) have prevailed over the objections of the Indian intelligence agencies. Over 1000 Chinese engineers are now in Andra Pradesh working on a pipeline project - as if India lacked engineers. So Singh may be sacrificed so that Rahul has his chance in a few years. |
| Posted by: john frum 2007-08-20 07:43 |
| #1 Internal politics John? The article suggests he was advised poorly but Dr Singh couldn't be this "witless" in parliamentary arts could he be that slo? It ISN'T possible that the US was aware of.. or played with the Commies.. is it? [no hell no!~:)] or knew of some shenanigans a'going on during negotiations? thanks in Advance John, I rely on you too much.. so much that when anyone asks me a question on India or Pakland I tell them I'll have to get back to them. LOL! . |
| Posted by: Red Dawg 2007-08-20 03:06 |