PRIME Minister Manmohan Singh’s mission to Washington ended on an unfortunate note as Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi publicly attacked his government for clearing an ordinance to protect tainted politicians. The Prime Minister was considerably embarrassed in the US. The attack also diminished his stature at home, as Narendra Modi has said. Singh seems puttee in the hands of the Gandhi family. Rahul Gandhi was oblivious of the fact that the PM represents India when he travels abroad. The timing of the outburst was wrong though one may strongly criticize the ordinance in principle. India is seen abroad as a country emerging as a large economy and a major power. US President Barack Obama showered high praise on Manmohan Singh for his contribution to this development. Singh has converted the Indo-US relationship into a genuine strategic partnership.
Manmohan Singh and Barack Obama have declared that bilateral relations between their countries have reached a new high. They announced the first step towards building a nuclear reactor in India. Principles of a new defence partnership have been defined. Emphasis has been put on a five-fold increase in bilateral trade to $ 500 billion. But the US is undeniably skeptical about the UPA government’s ability to meet the targets. A lot more could have been done to promote Indo-US relations in the last four years. The Congress leadership has always shown an ambivalent attitude to the US. The UPA government is stricken by policy paralysis. A new hostility to domestic and international business has developed. Obama is certainly reckoning with a change of government in Delhi next year. What shape the Indo-US relationship will then take remains uncertain.