NEW DELHI: Indian ambassador to the US Siddhartha Shankar Ray is understood to be arriving here for consultations with Prime Minister P.V, Narasimha Rao amidst speculations that he may quit the post to return to active politics.

Sources in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), while confirming that Ray, is expected here, said he was ‘coming to meet the Prime Minister. ‘They maintained that so far no decision has been taken on a change, if any, in Washington.

External affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee asserted there is no question of his being recalled,” but added ”If someone wants to force a decision, how can you prevent it?”

Muokherjee said that he had “no indication” that Ray was keen to quit “There is no reason why one should speculate on this

Asked whether Ray’s decision may have been taken in the wake of the US decision (0 supply arms to Pakistan despite protests from India, the minister said:” There is no decision yet. No decision of recalling him. There is no reason t0 believe that he wants 10 come Buick.”

“The two Congress leaders from West Bengal belonged to different factions They have not shared good equations. Ray was a powerful Union minister and then became the chief minister of West Bengal when Mukherjee was first elected’ to the Rajya Sabha and subsequently became a junior minister.

Observers noted that Mukherjee’s political rise almost coincided with Ray’s departure from the national politics and eventual distancing from Indira Gandhi. Observers noted that Ray was happy in Washington while dealing directly with Rao who took major foreign policy decisions as Dinesh Singh, the then external affairs minister, had been ailing.

The situation changed when Mulkherjee succeeded Singh early this year. Mukherjee recalled that there had been reports in Calcutta press about Ray wanting to return home, cutting short his ambassadorial assignment.

But Mukherjee said he had told Rao, and later when he (Mukherjee) had met him, that he was “happy” and that he had no plans to quit.

To a question whether he considered the US decision “failure” on the part of India, the government and the embassy in Washington, Mukherjee here is no question of a failure, We tried our best. But if somebody wants to give (arms to Pakistan), it is the decision of a sovereign state.

Article extracted from this publication >> November 3, 1995