shadenights

New Delhi, Oct 12: Clearly hinting that the nuke deal will not be pursued at the cost of the government, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday said that it will not be the end of the world for him if the nuclear deal does not go through.

The Prime Minister, speaking at a seminar said if the Indo-US nuclear deal does not go through, “it will be a disappointment”. "But in life one has to live with disappointments," he added. "It`s not an one-issue Government," he said, referring to the civil nuclear deal with the US.

"Nuclear agreement is an honourable deal that is good for India and good for the world," he said adding the government was trying to reconcile the divergent points of view on the issue within the ruling coalition.

Asked if he is ready for the snap poll in view of the Left reluctance to go with the UPA Govt on the deal, he said, “Elections are still far away and the government has one-and-a-half years to complete.”

Hoping to complete his full five-year term and avoid early elections, the PM said that it is his “hope and expectation” that the Government will stay the course and noted there are a lot of “unfinished agenda left to be completed”.

He said that no straight jacket ideology should be allowed to stifle creativity, enterprise of the people.

He also said that if we continue to delve into the ghosts of the past how can we concentrate on development.

No U-turn on nuke issue, says Congress

Dismissing the perception that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi have backtracked on the Indo-US nuclear deal, Congress on Friday said there is no change in stand and everyone is adhering to the coalition dharma.

"Congress stand is the same... That energy in all forms including the nuclear power, is good for India. However at the same time we have to abide by the consensus among our allies and coalition partner," Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said at a press conference today.

__________________