Manmohan Singh’s Strategy Behind the Indo-US Nuclear Deal Explained

On Friday, economist Montek Singh Ahluwalia talked about how former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh worked hard to get support for the Indo-US nuclear deal during his second time in office. Ahluwalia, who was a key figure in India’s Planning Commission, explained that Singh had to ask then-President APJ Abdul Kalam to talk to Mulayam Singh, the leader of the Samajwadi Party, who was against the deal.

The left-wing parties wanted to remove Singh’s government, which made the situation challenging. So, Manmohan Singh needed to carefully handle this situation. Thanks to President Kalam’s discussions with Mulayam Singh, they eventually agreed to support the government.

Ahluwalia emphasized that Singh believed India’s progress depended on removing the restrictions from the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). This was only possible because of the strong bond between Singh and then-US President George Bush. Without this relationship, other countries would not have relaxed their restrictions on India, which then allowed for better technology and military cooperation between India and the US.

Ahluwalia also praised former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for his efforts after India’s second nuclear test, Pokhran-II, saying he worked to convince Western nations that they were mistaken about India. Vajpayee managed to rebuild relationships, but the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) still kept India from importing uranium, which was needed for its nuclear reactors.

Ahluwalia pointed out that while this nuclear deal is often called the India-US deal, the main point was that it lifted restrictions on India because of its nuclear tests, without needing to sign the NPT, which he felt was unfair. He mentioned that India was ready to pursue global nuclear disarmament if other nations did the same.

Furthermore, Ahluwalia praised Dr. Singh for lifting 138 million people out of poverty during his time in office, highlighting that the economy grew rapidly under Singh’s leadership. He concluded that the Indo-US nuclear deal was a significant accomplishment of Manmohan Singh’s second term.