Singh made it clear that he would not put the government at stake, but added that he had not given up hope that “reason and common sense” will change the perception of the Left parties towards the deal.
“If the deal does not come through, it will be disappointing… But in life, one has to live with certain disappointments and move on to the next… We have a lot of unfinished business to complete,” the prime minister said at the fifth Hindustan Times Leadership Summit on Friday.
Earlier, welcoming the guests, HT Media Ltd Vice-Chairperson and Editorial Director Shobhana Bhartia said India was poised to take its rightful place in the councils of the world even as it addresses its internal challenges. She cheered the positive trends of the Indian economy and called for zero tolerance for corruption and bureaucratic inefficiency. She also underscored that people on the margins had to be brought on board. Globalisation will have merit only when it creates employment, she said.
In a lively interactive session, the prime minister spoke his mind. “Ours is not a one-issue government,” he said. He denied a suggestion that he overstepped the limits of disagreement by daring the Left to withdraw support on the nuclear deal. “I don’t think I overstepped (my limits). I was responding to a public statement issued by the four Left parties. I am conscious of my responsibility, of what I should say and not say... I was appealing to their good sense,” he responded. Singh also turned another question on whether he would like to stay on as PM if the deal didn’t come through. “It is a suggestion for action,” he said.
This is the first time that the Congress’ top leadership has hinted at the possibility of not pushing the deal in the face of the Left’s opposition — to an extent de-linking the government’s fate from that of the 123 Agreement.
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