Prime Ministers gentle hint: Anna Hazare respected for his rural work

I respect him as an important leader who has done a lot of good work in rural development,and thats why the whole country respects him, said Singh.

At the same time,Singh was mindful that the popular upsurge in the Middle-East and North Africa had driven home a lesson which had to be recognised. We have to take note of the fact that peoples power is a force to be reckoned with. It is also happening internationally… I dont want to pronounce authoritatively that I have all the answers to what has gone wrong in West Asia.

Interestingly,the Prime Minister was quite realistic about his objectives when it came to what is widely considered one of his favoured priorities the peace process with Pakistan. Asked specifically about the five things he would like to achieve on the Pakistan front in the light of his recent Mohali initiative,Singh said: Well,I think five is too much. If I can succeed in normalising relations between India and Pakistan,as they should prevail between two normal states,I would consider my job well done.

On another burning issue,the use of nuclear energy in the wake of the Fukushima disaster,he said: I think we are too close to the Japanese disaster and… there is a certain amount of nervousness on the extensive use of nuclear energy even for peaceful purposes. But I am convinced that when all is said and done,and when cool-headed discussions take place on the future of energy… I think there would be reconsideration of the role of nuclear energy as one of the essential options which all countries must keep.

While he seemed pleased with his latest foreign tour,confirming that defence exchanges would continue with China,Singh admitted that on the matter of the UN Security Council seat,matters had not progressed to a point where New Delhi could be assured about a permanent seat. I think there is growing support that the Security Council must reflect the realities of the contemporary age… I wouldnt say we are there yet… but there is growing support for India.

Questions he parried were about the ongoing state elections and the next Cabinet reshuffle. Asked pointedly about West Bengal,he said: I am not the best judge on what went wrong with the Left. It is for the people to decide and I wouldnt want to speculate on that.