Talk the walk

Manmohan Singh8217;s foreign policy consultations with the BJP leaders on Tuesday bodes well in realising some exciting diplomatic opportunities in 2007. For too long, the UPA government had departed from the tradition of conscious consensus building within the political class on external relations. Earlier prime ministers, including BJP8217;s Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Congress8217;s P.V. Narasimha Rao, reached out to the Opposition before they made big diplomatic moves. Whether it was the lack of personal chemistry between the PM and the BJP leaders or the unwillingness of both to recognise the importance of bipartisanship on key issues, the UPA government8217;s tenure since mid-2004 had seen a breakdown of national consensus on foreign policy.

As a consequence we saw a bitter internal confrontation in 2006 on the very significant deal with the US. Although the BJP-led government had initiated the historic engagement with the Bush administration on ending India8217;s long atomic isolation, it led the nuclear scare-mongering and sought to align with the communists against the government in an ugly manoeuvre during the monsoon session. The squabbling between the Congress and the BJP allowed all manner of fringe elements to hijack the domestic nuclear debate. Worse still, it emboldened sections of the science bureaucracy to openly defy the government and play games with the political opposition. Re-affirmation of prime ministerial authority over foreign policy and the re-establishment of broad domestic agreement on diplomatic challenges are interlinked. They are also necessary preconditions for a successful conclusion of the ongoing negotiations with Pakistan on J038;K and with China on the boundary dispute.

Breakthroughs on these issues in 2007 could fundamentally alter India8217;s security condition and transform the nation8217;s standing in the region and beyond. They also involve out-of-the-box ideas that go beyond long-held national positions. It was Vajpayee who broke the mould on dealing with the highly emotive national security challenges involving Pakistan and China. Tuesday8217;s consultations between the PM and the BJP must be the first step in a sustained internal dialogue.