Related Stories Visions, Revisions'Sourav (now) thinks there's value in Kartik. At the end of the day, it's the player's value realised by market forces'‘Autonomy of regulators must be taken seriously... nobody gives it to you, you learn to be autonomous’‘Developers are only interested in the luxury end. We’ve just forgotten affordable housing’

• Let me rephrase my question. In the experience that you had with the NDA back then, at that point, was the bar set higher than what the current nuclear deal shows? Or is it lower than what the current deal gives India? Would they have settled for less than what this deal gives India?

I think, had the Clinton administration been prepared to offer to the BJP-led government the same deal that Bush has been prepared to offer Manmohan Singh and company, the Indian side would have gone for it and they would have also been astonished given what they knew about our position on these issues involved.

• And that’s why you’re so astonished that they’re opposing it.

As I have said, my astonishment has its limits, in so far as policy and political positions are based on rationality, common sense and facts. Parties play politics all the time, the Congress did it with the BJP at that time and we have the same in America, where Republicans will attack a deal that has been made by Democrats and Republicans will end up in the White House and say, at least that deal’s done, and let’s get on.

• That’s what we expect Democrats to do.

We agreed, I think, that were there to be movement on both sides with regard to the CTBT and the FMCT, that would help.

• Now, did you raise this with Mr (Lal Krishna) Advani?

I haven’t met him on this trip. I haven’t had the chance to meet anyone from the Opposition on this trip.

• Because if the BJP were to come to power next year, they would have a real problem retracing their steps on this.

We know what the time-table of change is in the U.S. but we don’t know of it in India. I think, for everybody’s sake, if India were to go ahead and finish implementing the deal now and be done with it, so that we’re not arguing about something in the past, which was part of the burden that Jaswant Singh and I had to deal with. We had to unload off our backs and our countries’ backs so much baggage from 50 years of squandered opportunity of Indo-US relations. I hope the next government doesn’t have to deal with that.

• That’s a nice wish to have, Strobe. Looking forward to a year of change, new governments on both sides with full terms hopefully, no baggage of the past, and a new beginning.

I always enjoy the chance to talk with you. Goodbye.

editor@expressindia.com