Manmohan Singh told his team to “call off” the Indo-US civil nuclear deal a night before its scheduled announcement by then President George Bush.
The disclosure, made by then National Security Advisor MK Narayanan, held that Dr Singh had arrived at the decision after America came forth with a proposal to let India have just two of its nuclear reactors out of the international safeguards.
Speaking at the event organised by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Confederation of Indian Industry, Narayanan disclosed the details after former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told a Washington audience that Dr Singh had called off the deal a night before its scheduled announcement on June 18, 2005 because the opposition parties in India were up in arms against it.
I just wanted to set the record straight. I know that a view has been widely propounded that on the night of the June 17/18, Manmohan Singh had called off the deal. I think there were very valid reasons. There was an understanding which had been reached (by the Prime Minister’s Office) with the (US) President’s office that the number of Indian reactors that would be kept out of the international safeguards would be number such and such. The (US) State Department had a lot of people who wanted to teach India a lesson. By the time the visit was due, the number that was agreed on – six to eight – was reduced to two.
– MK Narayanan, Former National Security Advisor
Narayanan added that the figure was totally unacceptable from the point of view of the Ministry of External Affairs.
Such a decision by the Prime Minister sent a strong message to the Americans, with Dr Singh declining a meeting with Rice, who later met then External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh.
Narayanan declared that once the Americans agreed on a figure that was acceptable to Indians, the Prime Minister gave his go ahead for the deal.
(With inputs from PTI)
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