Smiles alone were not going to help take the nuclear tango between India and America to a crescendo. The 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group had to be wooed. The Communists at home had to be convinced. The nuclear non-proliferation hawks had to be tamed. American law had to be amended.
After all, India was still a non-signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. It looked as if the euphoria of the Bush visit had given way to harsher reality.
The Indian-American community swung into action. Its might was evident in the margin -- 359:68 -- by which the House of Representatives passed the bill. Then came the Senate vote, on which again things seemed to be lapsing into limbo. The Senate adjourned for the Congressional elections. The Democrats staged a remarkable comeback in American politics. So did Indian-American activism, which ensured the lame-duck session of the Congress saw the Senate pass the nuke deal legislation -- again by a thumping majority on November 16.
The final version of the nuclear bill sailed through by 330 to 59 votes in the House of Representatives and by unanimous consent in the Senate.
There is still some distance to go for the deal to give India the power surge it needs to feed its global aspirations. But the goal is within sight.
What are the events that shaped 2006? Tell us!
Image: Swadesh Chatterjee, second from right, with Senator Joseph Biden.
Photograph: Jay Mandal
Also read: N-deal's hardest hurdles are over: US
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