Revelations leave govt red-faced

Statement of the then Union minister and present Rajya Sabha member Mani Shankar Aiyar that he was not surprised when he was relieved “at the first opportunity” of the temporary charge and that PMO officials telling US envoy that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was “isolated” in his government on talks with Pakistan etc have left the UPA government red-faced.

The release of cables by the whistleblower website has come as a fresh headache to a government already bruised by a slew of corruption charges over the last one year. Congress sources admitted that this was something that has taken them by surprise.  
Not really prepared for it, the Centre maintained silence while a Congress spokesperson gave unconvincing answer about the revelations.  “Any embassy is expected to send its honest opinion/report to its government. However, the issue will become serious if you prove that a government’s policy is influenced after a particular report was sent,” sources said.

The cables quote current US Ambassador Timothy Roemer, after a meeting with then National Security Adviser (NSA) M K Narayanan in August 2009 as saying: “On Pakistan, Narayanan readily conceded a differing policy vision with his boss.”
 After Singh spoke of India’s “shared destiny” with Pakistan, NSA Narayanan tells Singh that “you have a shared destiny, we dont”. The cable says Narayanan did not share Singh’s  “great belief” in talks with Pakistan and “suggested the PM was isolated within his own government in this view.”

The government has been dismayed by the disclosure relating to Aiyar, admittedly an anti-American voice in the Cabinet and known for his strong support to the Iran gas pipeline. Aiyar held the Petroleum and Natural Gas portfolio as additional charge and was shifted later amid speculation of it being done ‘under pressure’ by the government. Aiyar was replaced by Murli Deora, known for his strong pro-US stand.
Then US Ambassador David C Mulford, in a cable sent to Washington, had said that Deora's appointment signified a “determination to ensure that US-India relations continue to move ahead rapidly.”