Indian Leader Rescues Nuclear Deal - Rama Lakshmi, Washington Post

Indian Leader Rescues Nuclear Deal - Rama Lakshmi, Washington Post

After months of political uncertainty, the Indian government appeared Friday to have saved a beleaguered civil nuclear-energy agreement with the United States. After a flurry of political meetings with allies and adversaries in the past week, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh gained the support of a regional political party that will not only back the deal but prevent his government from falling. On Friday, Shakeel Ahmed, spokesman for the ruling Congress party, thanked its newfound ally, the socialist Samajwadi Party, "for supporting the nuclear deal in the national interest." Singh is to meet President Bush in Japan next week during a summit of the Group of Eight industrialized nations.

India Party Struggling for Nuclear Deal - Timmons and Sengupta, New York Times

India’s governing Congress Party was on the verge of swapping allies on Friday in a last-ditch effort to push through a nuclear deal with the United States. The Congress Party was on the brink of replacing its leftist allies, led by the Communist Party, with a coalition led by the Samajwadi, a North Indian socialist party. The Congress Party’s grip on India is weakening as inflation and fuel prices rise and the economy slows, and securing an ally is crucial to staying in power. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who has been a staunch supporter of the nuclear agreement with the United States, has been rushing to firm up support for the deal in India ahead of the Group of 8 summit meeting in Japan, which starts on Monday.

No Rush, Please - New York Times editorial

Three years ago, President Bush offered India a far-too-generous nuclear deal. India’s illicit pursuit of nuclear weapons would effectively be forgiven. And for the first time in 30 years, it would be allowed to buy nuclear fuel and equipment for its civilian energy program from the United States and other nations. Instead of celebrating a big political win, the deal quickly turned into a political nightmare for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, nearly toppling his government. India’s Communist Party, his junior coalition partner, is dead set against the agreement and any broader strategic relationship with the United States.