Saturday, December 18, 2010
U.S. criticised Sonia for lack of leadership on nuclear issue
From The Hindu
Congress leader Sonia Gandhi “never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity to show real leadership,” officials at the United States embassy in New Delhi wrote on November 6, 2007, referring to tumultuous discussions and negotiations that led to the Parliamentary debate on the U.S.-India nuclear cooperation agreement.
The officials' critical view of Ms. Gandhi was revealed in a private diplomatic cable published by WikiLeaks, the whistleblower website. In the cable, U.S. officials suggest that the Congress leadership had concerns about the Gujarat Assembly elections in mid-December of that year.
They argued that if the party managed to put in a solid performance in the State, an Opposition stronghold, it might feel strong enough to challenge the Left parties by moving forward with the International Atomic Energy Agency on the safeguards agreement at the risk of early mid-term polls.
The cable in question also had harsh words for Prakash Karat, general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), for his party's resistance to some aspects of the nuclear agreement.
U.S. officials said, “With the future of Indian foreign credibility hanging in the balance, Sonia Gandhi has been unable to show principled leadership even when it might benefit her party at the polls and reveal Prakash Karat to be the extortionist that he is.”
Describing Ms. Gandhi and the Congress Party as “cautious and nervous,” the cables compared her to Golda Meir, the so-called “Iron Lady” of Israeli politics, saying that Ms. Meir “would be disgusted” at Ms. Gandhi's approach to the nuclear debate.
However, officials at New Delhi embassy assured Washington that they would step up their efforts to lobby for the deal behind closed doors. They said in the cable, “While remaining publicly restrained and taking care not to be seen as interfering with domestic Indian politics, the Embassy will continue to meet with all political, business and civil society organisations to urge them to support the agreement.”
They added that they would continue to press the United Progressive Alliance government on the need for early completion of the safeguards agreement with the IAEA and would also remind the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party that the U.S.-India civil nuclear pact was “their deal, too.”
Congress leader Sonia Gandhi “never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity to show real leadership,” officials at the United States embassy in New Delhi wrote on November 6, 2007, referring to tumultuous discussions and negotiations that led to the Parliamentary debate on the U.S.-India nuclear cooperation agreement.
The officials' critical view of Ms. Gandhi was revealed in a private diplomatic cable published by WikiLeaks, the whistleblower website. In the cable, U.S. officials suggest that the Congress leadership had concerns about the Gujarat Assembly elections in mid-December of that year.
They argued that if the party managed to put in a solid performance in the State, an Opposition stronghold, it might feel strong enough to challenge the Left parties by moving forward with the International Atomic Energy Agency on the safeguards agreement at the risk of early mid-term polls.
The cable in question also had harsh words for Prakash Karat, general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), for his party's resistance to some aspects of the nuclear agreement.
U.S. officials said, “With the future of Indian foreign credibility hanging in the balance, Sonia Gandhi has been unable to show principled leadership even when it might benefit her party at the polls and reveal Prakash Karat to be the extortionist that he is.”
Describing Ms. Gandhi and the Congress Party as “cautious and nervous,” the cables compared her to Golda Meir, the so-called “Iron Lady” of Israeli politics, saying that Ms. Meir “would be disgusted” at Ms. Gandhi's approach to the nuclear debate.
However, officials at New Delhi embassy assured Washington that they would step up their efforts to lobby for the deal behind closed doors. They said in the cable, “While remaining publicly restrained and taking care not to be seen as interfering with domestic Indian politics, the Embassy will continue to meet with all political, business and civil society organisations to urge them to support the agreement.”
They added that they would continue to press the United Progressive Alliance government on the need for early completion of the safeguards agreement with the IAEA and would also remind the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party that the U.S.-India civil nuclear pact was “their deal, too.”
Labels: India-U.S., nuclear deal, Sonia Gandhi, U.S. embassy leak, Wikileaks
# posted by Narayan Lakshman @ 7:29 AM 
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