Some inside thoughts of MANMOHAN SINGH

I hesitated before writing this as I respect Manmohan Singh as a person.

I am a happy man as I recline in the comfortable seat of Air India One. It has been a great trip.

George Bush was most profuse in his praise of me. He called me courageous. I admit I got carried away. I told the President that everyone in India loves him. This is true, but I could see Shiv Shankar Menon raising his left eye brow by a millimetre as I said this.

When he does does this it means he is greatly embarrassed at the unabashed display of emotions by George and me. But these diplomats are all the same. Remember that guy in Yes Prime Minister? I did not kiss George on the cheeks or do a jig round the presidential room, did I?

As I was saying George called me courageous. That I am. Imagine a guy like me pulling off the deal! I am a member of the Rajya Sabha. I haven't fought any election. I have no mass base in the Congress party. Despite all that I pulled off the deal, under the noses of my Left friends.

Heh, heh! Tell you a secret. Sitaram Yechuri and Prakash Karat must be feeling pretty silly after appearing on TV in the last three years and saying, "we will withdraw. We will withdraw." The support, I mean.

But the credit for that goes to madam. In fact, madam made me the PM because I have not fought a single election in my life and I am above all the wheeling and dealing that goes on.

But this does not alter the fact that I am a courageous man. The Nuclear Deal was and is my brainchild. Madam is pretty ignorant (bless her soul) about the deal. Whenever I or the gentlemen from the Department of Atomic Energy, tried to brief her the details of the deal, she would frown and then yawn.

Anyway, I am keeping my fingers crossed. We win the elections next year and I will return as PM again. A newspaper headline had said "Singh is King", when we won the confidence vote. I hope I will be 'king' again, next year.

Some nasty, cynical people have told me that madam will ditch me and make Rahul the PM! Dirty minds they have. I will be the PM again. On second thoughts, I hope the nasty, cynical folks turn out to be wrong. After all Rahul is a bachcha now.