DEAL OR NO DEAL?
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The speech that may save Govt: What did PM say
Published on Fri, Oct 12, 2007 at 19:46, Updated on Fri, Oct 12, 2007 at 23:12 in India section
Tags: Nuclear Deal, Manmohan Singh , New Delhi
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New Delhi: While the PM's address to the Hindustan Times Summit-2007 in New Delhi on Friday seems to have put the lid on the UPA-Left bickering over the nuclear deal, the Congress and the BJP offered their own interpretations of the speech.
While the BJP described it as a 'U-turn' in the Congress stand on the Indo-US nuclear deal, the Congress said it as "as much committed to good governance as to coalition dharma.''
The Left seemed happy with the PM's speech. Welcoming the statements of Dr Singh and UPA Chief Sonia Gandhi on the nuclear deal, the Left parties said the government was committed to considering the findings of the joint mechanism set up to allay their concerns on the issue.
But what did the PM exactly say? Here we reproduce the full text of Dr Manmohan Singh's speech as released by Press Information Bureau.
"I am delighted to be back once again at this important gathering. As I have said before, these forums provide us opportunities to exchange views, to debate and shape the thinking of our people. Such public discourse is the life blood of a democracy. I compliment Shobhanaji for the interest she has taken to ensure that these summits are high quality events. You have, once again, an impressive gathering of speakers and participants.
I hope the views and ideas expressed here are carried across the length and breadth of our country. These proceedings should be translated into all Indian languages so that our people get to know the thinking of the eminent personalities gathered here. I dare say, though, that one finds that on many issues, the people of our country are often ahead of their political and intellectual leaders! The people of India have shown time and again a remarkable capacity to keep in step with change and often, be the agents of the change they want to see. It is we - politicians, policy makers and opinion makers – who some times find ourselves lagging behind public opinion.
This would be more so in a society of increasingly young people. India is going through a demographic revolution. We are a nation of young people, with a new generation entering the electorate at every election. Each generation has it’s own dreams. Each generation “Imagines the India that can be”. In a society of such rapid demographic and social change, new ideas and experiences capture the imagination of each passing generation. The India that we imagine that can be today, may well be obsolete by tomorrow.
It is, therefore, of utmost importance that we remain in touch with this changing reality and understand the India `that is’, even as we seek to imagine the India that `can be’. For us, here in India, this is not just a reality check, but also a way of renewing the basis of our nationhood, and our Republic.
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Dear Laxman
You are absolutely right!
I wish more and more people can use their head than their ears (by hearing stories
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they are waiting for another opinion polls resutls which can give then an edge over other parties to win the
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i am glad i made the right decision .to leave india to the usa.i knew that india would never be
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Perfectly said... Thanks Laxman... People need to think an walk in rightiousness and think about the nation rather then meterialistic.
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I feel that our PM has done his best to save his Govt. If every one belive that the deal
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