Manmohan Singh gives his first interview as Prime Minister to Michael Binyon and Catherine Philip, before telling Tony Blair of his plans for a global powerhouse
INDIA’s new Prime Minister will brief Tony Blair today on his vision of India as a global economic powerhouse, embracing all competitive challenges and demanding a full say in world affairs at the United Nations.
Manmohan Singh, in his first interview since an upset election returned his Congress party to power, told The Times that he was determined that India should forge closer links with Britain, be more active in the fight against terrorism and stake a claim to a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. “That’s my vision, that’s my commitment – to steer the country in the direction in which India is taken seriously.”
Speaking in his Prime Ministerial office, a modest room in the grandiose government complex built by Lutyens for the Raj, he said that his visit to Downing Street would be a “sentimental journey” back to a land where he spent years studying. Dr. Singh, 71, is a economist and former Finance Minister, with degrees from both Oxford and Cambridge – unique among today’s leaders.
However, the mild-mannered Sikh, the architect of India’s economic reforms who was asked by Sonia Gandhi to head the Government after her victory in May, made clear that he wants to lead a more dynamic, assertive India not afraid to grasp the nettles of globalisation, international responsibilities and competition with its giant neighbour China. And he is looking to the huge Indian Diaspora in Britain and the United States to promote a more vibrant image of his country overseas.
Dr. Singh will urge Mr. Blair to back his campaign, which he is to spearhead at the UN General Assembly in New York this week, for permanent Security Council seats for India, Germany, Japan and Brazil. “We feel that India has a strong claim to a seat, given our size, given our potential, given our capacity”, he said.
He will tell the Prime Minister that Britain’s historic relationship with India has been jeopardized by Britain’s “faulty” decision to charge high fees for foreign students. He will tell him that a generation of Indians is looking to the United States because British Universities do not offer the scholarships available there. He appears genuinely hurt that his intellectual mentor seems to be turning its back on Indian talent.
Dr. Singh will say that India has no intention of slipping back into protectionist isolation. Any attempt in the West, especially in the United States, to curb the outsourcing of jobs to India would, he said, fly in the face of globalisation and could cost thousands of companies their competitive edge. He is expected to sign a pact with Britain to bolster trade and increase Britain’s economic stake in India, where it is the third-largest foreign investor.
A wide ranging agreement to tighten security co-operation and commit India more fully to the fight against terrorism is also expected. This is likely to involve stronger links between MI5 and its Indian equivalent, as well as increased police co-operation. The Indians are hoping that their recent capture of a man wanted in Britain for murder will set the pattern for the pooling of intelligence.
On terrorism, Dr. Singh said that India would co-operate with anyone, bilaterally or regionally, to end “this menace to a civilized way of living”. He promised to step up his country’s campaign against drug-trafficking and to do more to share intelligence on terrorist networks. India had itself been the victim of terrorism for 15 years, he said, referring to Kashmir. He would now push for an international convention on terrorism.
Although India has accused Britain in the past of sheltering Sikh and Kashmiri militants, and still wants the extradition of several people accused of fundraising for separatist groups, he will not make this a point of contention today. “I don’t propose to raise any individual cases’, he said.
Dr. Singh’s claim to a greater role for India in world affairs is let down by its reluctance to involve itself in unpopular issues. He ruled out sending troops to Iraq, and said that offers of help for Iraqi reconstruction must await better security.
He was “sceptical’ about an Indian role in “peacemaking”. “We have to recognize the realities of power, and that international relations are essentially a reflection of power relations”. India’s role “tends to be rather limited”- a phrase that suggests a lack of confidence over India’s global reach.
He was equally circumspect about his first meeting this week in New York with President Musharraf of Pakistan. Normalizing relations with India’s nuclear neighbour was a key concern, he said. India was “very serious and sincere” in wanting all disagreements resolved through bilateral dialogue- a formula that rules out direct talks with Kashmiris. The issue was fraught with the “burden of history”, but both leaders had an obligation to “think out of the box”, he said.
Dr. Singh will also meet President Bush, but must tread carefully because the Iraq war was deeply unpopular in India. He said simply that he would “like to know his assessment of the situation”. And he underlined India’s backing for the UN to run Iraq until a new government could take over.
Dr. Singh, who is the first Sikh to hold supreme office and is known for his Cambridge-blue turbans, spoke quietly but without hesitation. Only a few officials and media advisers, impressed by his growing ability to project himself, were also present.
He has held one press conference since taking office. Dr. Singh and his officials wanted to use his interview to claim a place on the world stage, where he would be seen as more than an economist or caretaker prime minister.
He forcefully rejected any suggestion that Mrs. Gandhi was the power behind the throne, insisting that they had separate responsibilities and worked harmoniously together.
“I have every reason to believe that the relationship that I enjoy with Mrs. Gandhi strengthens me in discharging my responsibilities as Prime Minister”, he said. She chaired the Congress-led coalition and oversaw the Government’s direction. “That’s a source of strength, not a source of weakness for our Government.”
Although many Indians saw him as an accidental prime minister, he said that he was ready for the long haul. “I have no doubt that the Government is here to stay. It will complete five years. That is the mandate”. And he repeated a quotation from Victor Hugo that he used when announcing the reforms in 1991 that opened India’s door to the world: “No power on Earth can stop an idea whose time has come”.
For Dr. Singh, born during the Raj, the old Congress ideals burn bright. In making India a global power, he insisted that he would also “get rid of chronic poverty, ignorance and disease, which still afflict millions and millions of our people.”
“I want a rapidly expanding economy, a caring society and an inclusive society where people are equal citizens regardless of their religion, caste and creed”.
