Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s last foreign junket was to a regional summit of the Bay of Bengal littoral held in Myanmar. The government of India showed little interest in the proceedings as did the public at large. The UPA government has been in the saddle for two decades. It was not to be expected however that the Prime Minister’s performance in Myanmar would be something to write home about. When Singh began his first tenure in 2004, he went to Bangkok to attend the first summit of the Bay of Bengal leaders. He rolled out an impressive agenda concerning Eastern neighbours. But it was just talk. The UPA government has failed to put through any trans-border transport project in the area. In 2004, Delhi had great external opportunities. Manmohan Singh had an international profile and kicked off with a big bang. He signed a very significant nuclear energy deal with the US. He made a strong bid to normalize relations with Pakistan. Besides, he blueprinted an agreement with China to settle the border dispute. But the subsequent years found him wrestling with criticism in his own government. The Congress was apathetic and the BJP was hostile. The US deal is still hobbling while relations with Pakistan and China continue to bristle with discord.
What is worse, the UPA government got increasingly lukewarm in pursuing foreign policy targets. Singh was always eager to lean over backwards to appease the Opposition. The Congress gave in to the Left by putting the US deal on hold. Mamata Banerjee was humoured over the Teesta project to sour relations with Bangladesh. The DMK in Tamil Nadu was allowed to have its way in embittering relations with Sri Lanka. It is ironic that all these parties have now severed ties with the Congress. What matters more is the damage done on the foreign policy front.
