Nuclear deal established ex-PM Manmohan Singh knew how to do politics: Montek Ahluwalia

New Delhi, Nov 13 (PTI) Former prime minister Manmohan Singh established through the India-US nuclear deal that he knew how to do politics when it was really necessary, even though the deal is still "not appropriately appreciated", his once close aide Montek Singh Ahluwalia said on Thursday.

Delivering a lecture on 'The Life and Legacy of Dr Manmohan Singh' as part of the prime minister's lecture series organised by the Centre for Contemporary Studies of Prime Ministers Museum and Library, the former Planning Commission deputy chairman said the present cooperation in the fields of defence and security would not have been possible had the nuclear deal not been signed.

He also lauded the present government's handling of the tariff issue with the United States and said signing the Free trade agreement (FTA) with the US would be the "right thing" to do.

Ahluwalia backed reforms and noted that Manmohan Singh favoured bringing them way back in 1971 in a paper by him, but they were introduced only in 1991.

He also favoured lateral entry of young people from the private sector into governance, citing the example of Nandan Nilekani while introducing Aadhaar.

He said the idea of 'Viksit Bharat' cannot be achieved unless human resources are tackled in a reasonable manner.

Late Manmohan Singh’s wife Gursharan Kaur, and Nripendra Misra, Chairman, Prime Ministers Museum and Library, were present at the event.

Misra described Singh as a "harbinger of liberalisation" under then-Prime Minister Narasimha Rao.

His integrity and unassuming demeanour was his personal quality, which also helped in formulating policies with less government control and more role for the private sector, Misra noted.

Describing the India-US nuclear deal as a "masterly action" by former prime minister Singh, Ahluwalia said a large section of the Congress, the Left and even the BJP did not want the nuclear deal to be signed, and a lot of "political manipulation" had to be done to get it through.

"That was quite a masterly action by him (Singh). At the very end, it actually led to him offering his resignation to Mrs (Sonia) Gandhi, because she was under a lot of pressure. The Left actually said that ‘we will walk out of the government’, though it was not clear on what ground.

“But Mamnmohan Singh persuaded Sonia Gandhi, who allowed him to do this. The Left threatened a vote of no confidence, but he (Singh) finessed that by seeking a vote of confidence on the nuclear deal,” Ahluwalia said in his lecture.

"(It took) A lot of political manipulation by someone who wasn't viewed as a politician. I think the Indo-US nuclear deal established that he (Singh) knew how to do politics when he thought it was really necessary. And, I think, it still is not appropriately appreciated,” Ahluwalia said.

Noting that it would be an exaggeration to say that the entire Congress was against the Civil Nuclear deal, he said, “But I can certainly say that a very large number of them were simply against it." "I don't think they appreciate what it means. That could be said to be a failing on the part of the government,” Ahluwalia said.

He also noted that the reform process initiated by Singh in 1991 was continued by successive governments and the process is carrying on even currently.

The former deputy chairman of the Planning Commission, who was also Manmohan Singh's aide from his bureaucrat days, said that as the finance minister, Manmohan Singh made history as he was called in to handle a crisis, but he used it as an opportunity to start a process of reforms which was long overdue and helped change India's growth trajectory.

"Importanty, even in 1991, although the changes were foundational, the extent of the changes was understated. The approach was that there is nothing unusual," Ahluwalia said, adding that he did not want to criticise the policies of the previous Congress governments, and not say that the old policies of the party were being junked.

Ahluwalia also said that Manmohan Singh was uniquely suited to persuading the public to accept the need for policy change.

Though not a great orator, Singh was a terrific interlocutor in serious high-level discussions and that helped the country understand why we needed to change, he noted.

He also said that Singh's personal austerity helped in bringing liberalisation as his personal lifestyle was austere and nobody could blame him for doing so for personal benefits.

As an economist, Singh enjoyed when his views were challenged, Ahluwalia said.

Singh was definitely not a free market ideologue and believed that the state had an important role in giving the poor in rural areas a fair chance of realising their potential, he added. PTI SKC ARI