Premier of India Stakes Career on U.S. Nuclear Pact

As political parties hold urgent meetings to muster the support of new members, allegations of impropriety have arisen. On Monday, a leader of the Communist Party of India, A.B. Bardhan, alleged that more than $5 million had been offered for support by allies of the Congress party.

Some observers say that because Singh is not a natural politician, his presentation of the nuclear deal was clumsy. He failed to adequately highlight the benefits of the deal in a country where remnants of Cold War-era anti-Americanism remain. Others said Singh made the battle too personal.

"He handled the whole issue in an extremely divisive manner. The prime minister made no attempt to consult either his allies or opponents. He kept the deal too close to his chest, made it entirely personal. In the process, he has created a political situation that is so deeply fractured around this deal," said Yashwant Sinha, a member of Parliament in the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which began the process of aligning India with the United States a few years ago. "He is the prime minister; he has to act like a politician."

Over the past four years, Singh has frequently been hamstrung by opposition from his communist allies. He watched helplessly when some allies insisted on including corrupt politicians in his cabinet. Rumors swirled in political and media circles that he was fed up and wanted to quit his job. His repeated insistence on austerity in government spending fell on deaf ears. Still, despite the challenges, he kept a low profile and led a frugal life that many Indians admired.

In his first Independence Day speech after assuming power, Singh said in his trademark self-effacing style that he has no promises to make, "only promises to keep."

When it came to the nuclear deal, however, Singh put his foot down for the first time. He argued at every turn that the deal was crucial to achieving energy security for the power-starved, emerging economy of more than a billion people. He said the deal protected India's strategic military program and did not take away India's right to conduct a nuclear test in the future.

Officials in Singh's office say he patiently engaged with his communist allies for nine months with the hope of bringing them around to his point of view.

"But in the end, he realized this was going nowhere. He said, 'We cannot do this endlessly.' He believes the deal is in our national interest," said Sanjaya Baru, a spokesman for Singh. "He is exercising the ultimate weapon that any politician has. He is willing to give up power for something he believes in. No ordinary power-hungry politician will do that these days."

On Wednesday, the strongest and most crucial show of support came from the heir apparent of Singh's Congress party, 38-year-old Rahul Gandhi. He told reporters that the deal was fundamental to India's energy problems.

"I also believe that you need guts to do it," Gandhi said. "I appreciate it. I would tell [Singh] to take the risk again, again and again. That is leadership."