I am proud of my Prime Minister. His simplicity, doggedness and vision have been exemplary and oft quoted. I have been following his progress through the ranks of Indian bureaucracy and Indian politics for quite some time now. The economic reforms ushered in 1992, after India pawned its gold the previous year, have a singular stamp of his decision. The then Prime Minister, P V Narsimharao, is not credited much by the polity for the impact the reforms brought to the lives of millions of Indians. It has been always Manmohan’s idea. This was Manmohan Singh’s first master stroke during his first office in the Union Cabinet as the Finance Minister.
His second stint as Prime Minister of India from 2004 to 2009 is characterized by one single most important achievement. The Indo-US Nuclear Deal. Such was his resilience that he put the government at stake for the deal. The tug of war among the opposition parties, critics within his own party and his beliefs for the good of the nation went on for more than a year before he finally decided the sound the ‘bigul’ of elections. Amar Singh did a great and only service to the nation by bailing out the government out of no confidence motion in July 2008. Notwithstanding the ‘cash for votes’ scam, Manmohan Singh emerged far more confident and far more in control. He looked more of a Prime Minister as he wriggled out like a worm; out of a larva and free to fly the limitless skies.
So where has he set his eyes on as he completes more than 9 months of possible 60 months of his Prime Ministership. My guess is that our Prime Minister wants to walk out of Race Course, having settled the long standing India Pakistan territory dispute. Long call! Well, the government seems to be taking all the necessary steps. Here are the cues:
• Just a little over six months to 26/11, Manmohan Singh and Gilani met in Egypt in July 2009 for highest summit level talks. These well intentioned talks (at least from India side) at Sharm el Shaikh were showcased in a manner that India has given away ground by mentioning the controversial issue of Baluchistan in the joint statement. On replying to Parliament debate, these were PM's words – ‘I sincerely believe it is our obligation to keep the channels of communication open, Unless we talk directly to Pakistan we will have to rely on a third party to do so… Unless you want to go to war with Pakistan, there is no way, but to go step-by-step… dialogue and engagement are the best way forward.’ The Prime Minister had his heart on his sleeve but knows the difficult territory he is venturing into.
• Times of India and Jung Group of Pakistan – Aman ki Asha – Peace Project: There is a definite thought to increase people to people talks among the citizens of the country. The initiative is noteworthy, deserves attention and may be the first and most important step in resolving the issue.
• No flag hoisted during this Republic Day at Lal Chowk, Srinagar: BJP truly is irked but does it understand the larger story. This was first time in 19 years that the national flag was not hoisted at the clock tower. Despite being a militancy hotspot for last so many years, security forces have always hoisted flag at Lal Chowk. What was Omar Abdullah’s directive this time around? A question worth pondering...
There are significant little steps being taken at different corners. Together they tell a story. I believe that these are not climb downs but small steps for a big victory.
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