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Manmohan Singh Was Ready To Attack Pakistan, Ex-British PM David Cameron Reveals In His Book

In His Book Titled 'For The Record', David Cameron Recalled His Close Dealing With Former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

News Nation Bureau | Edited By : Shashikant Sharma | Updated on: 19 Sep 2019, 09:51:54 PM
Former British Prime Minister David Cameron and Manmohan Singh (Photo: File/PIB)

New Delhi:

Former British Prime Minister David Cameron on Thursday released his memoirs in which he spoke about the relationship with his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh. Terming the former Indian PM a "saintly" man, Cameron said that Singh was robust when it came to the security of India and once told him that India would take military action against Pakistan in case of another 2008 Mumbai-like terrorist attack.

This was revealed by Cameron in his book titled 'David Cameron For The Record', which was released today and is a chronicle of the former British premier's personal life and political career. In the book, he has covered the time period between 2010 and 2016 when he was in the office and spoke in details about his close dealing with both Manmohan Singh and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"I got on well with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He was a saintly man, but he was robust on the threats India faced. On a later visit, he told me that another terrorist attack like that (2008) in Mumbai in July 2011, and India would have to take military action against Pakistan," Cameron writes while recalling one his India visits.

The former British PM said that he wanted a modern partnership between India and UK and not the one tinged with colonial guilt. "When it came to India, I argued that we needed a modern partnership, not one tinged with colonial guilt, but alive to the possibilities of the world's oldest democracy and the world's largest democracy.

He also recalled introducing Modi to a 60,000-strong crowd at UK's Wembley in 2015 and how crowd roared when he told them that he sees a British Indian entering the 10 Downing Street, the official address of UK's Prime Minister.

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"Before introducing Modi, I told the 60,000-strong crowd that I envisaged a British Indian entering No 10 Downing Street as PM one day. The roar of approval was incredible. And as Modi and I hugged on stage I hoped that this small gesture would be a signal of the open armed eagerness with which Britain approached the world," he said.

He also touched upon "internal row" over his visit to the historic Golden Temple in Amritsar, the first by a sitting UK prime minister, and expressing the regert for the British era Jallianwala Bagh massacre.

"Ahead of my visit there was an internal row about whether I should say sorry'. But ultimately, I felt that expressing regret for what I described in the memorial's book of condolence as a deeply shameful event in British history' was appropriate. I knew what it meant to British Sikhs that their prime minister made that gesture, and I'm glad I did so," He said.

Cameron had resigned from the office in June 2016, a day after Britons voted in favour of Brexit. Ever since his resignation, he is away from active poltiics and is currently the President of Alzheimer's Research UK, a charitable trust dedicated to defeat dementia.

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First Published : 19 Sep 2019, 09:51:54 PM

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