BOOK EXCERPT | How ‘weak’ Prime Minister Manmohan Singh showed surprising resilience to seal Indo-US nuclear deal: Extract from ‘How Prime Ministers Decide’ by Neerja Chowdhury
The HinduThe former Prime Minister, who turns 91 on September 26, outwitted both political allies and rivals to help end India’s “nuclear apartheid”. In the final chapter of the book, Chowdhury writes about how the mild and professorial Manmohan Singh, widely regarded as one of the country’s weakest Prime Ministers, defied interest groups and foes within the political establishment to seal a historic nuclear deal with the United States—and upgraded the bilateral relationship to a new level. ******* When Manmohan Singh became prime minister, the man he often turned to for help was CPI general secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet—despite the differences the PM had with the communists. Manmohan Singh’s troubles with the Left started the moment Prakash Karat replaced Harkishan Singh Surjeet as general secretary of the CPI. And yet, the resourcefulness, tenacity, and determination Manmohan Singh displayed in pursuing the Indo–US Civil Nuclear Deal revealed a new side to him.
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