As the Nuclear Suppliers Group plenary – expected to culminate in a decision on India’s membership application – opens in Seoul this week, India’s diplomats mounted a final exercise to lobby the country’s case for a seat at the nuclear high table.
With India gearing up to win over China and assuage other doubters, it is shedding the fear of failure by going all out even if it entails playing a high-stake hand and not coming out tops. The “no risk, no gain” mantra seems to be guiding the Modi government in the hectic diplomacy that may include a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping later this week, Times of India said Tuesday.
As one official observed, “Whether we get to the final or win the tournament, we have no option but to play the best match we can. “India’s last-mile push comes even as China muddied the waters on Monday with its foreign ministry saying the India membership question is not on the agenda of the plenary. Answering a question on the possibility of India not making the cut during a media interaction on Sunday, foreign minister Sushma Swaraj drew a revealing comparison with fighting elections. “We, who contest Lok Sabha polls, don’t think about such things. We are pursuing our objective with immense focus,” she said.
The focus of Indian diplomacy is to see that countries raising questions about process and procedures are brought on board. In his two meetings with the Chinese leadership, foreign secretary S Jaishankar -an ex-ambassador to China -is believed to have expressed India’s stand that it would not object to Pakistan’s joining the NSG either.
