The Attention of the Government, Perhaps You Have Done More What
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the attention of the Government, perhaps you RESOLUTION RE. CONSTITUTION have done more what is necessary. OF NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL THE VICE-CHAIRMAN (SHRI R. SHRI INDRADEEP SINHA (Bihar): May I RAMAKRISHNAN): Special mentions will seek one clarification? (Interruptions) Just one be made at 5 o'clock. Now we take up the minute. (Interruptions) On the 4th of this private Members' business, Resolution No. 1 month, E.M.S. Namboodiripad, Chitta Basu, of Shri Jas-want Singh. Tridib Chaudhuri, Nadar of CSP and myself, we submitted a memorandum to the Prime SHRI JASWANT SINGH (Rajasthan); Sir, Minister drawing the attention of the I move the following Resolution:— Government to the serious situation created by drought. This is not something which has "This House, developed overnight. We had suggested that all resources in the country should be mindful of the deteriorating security mobilised. That was not being done. I want to environment of the country; know one thing. The Government had allowed concerned ait the emerging superpower special import of TV sets for the Asiad Will rivalry in the South-Asian region; they take special steps to import foodgrains to feed the hungry people? taking serious note of the arms race on the Indian sub-continent; and MR. DEPUTY CHAIRMAN: That is your cognizant of the serious repurcus-sions euggestion. of disaffection and civil strife in sensitive border States on the nation's security; SHRI INDRADEEP SINHA: And will they procure the foodgrains lying as heards with is of the opinion that a National Security the big landlords and others? Council be constituted immediately to oversee all aspects of our defence policy, MR. DEPUTY CHAIRMAN: All these including— suggestions will be' taken into consideration; (a) integrated perspective planning; and I hope the hon. Members will allow the proceedings to go on after lunch. Now all the (b) morale of services, their pay, Special Mentions will be taken up in the pensions, resettlement and post- evening after the Calling Attention. retirement benefits; (c) short and long term plans for sensitive border States; (d) research, development and The House then adjourned for weapons procurement policies; lunch at eight minutes past one of the clock. (e) rationalisation and integration of the command and control structure of para-military forces." The House reassembled after lunch at Mr. Vice-Chairman, Sir, the central question thirty-three minutes past two of -the clock, the of security in a society, .amongst people, in Vice Chairman (Shri R. Ramakrishnian in the nations, requires that we be very clear as to Chair. what we mean when we use the words "natio- 22 RS—8. nal security". "National security'' has I Shri Jaswant Si«.gh] many ramifications. national security is not merely the pre. It would be simplistic to reduce it to purely servation of the territorial integrity of our the military angle. A discussion like this is not frontiers. National security involves the a discussion which limits itself to the concept preservation of values, the.life style and of "spend more, spend less on defence". Like civilisational concern. The purely military in the relationship between law and justice, it aspect of a nation's security is, therefore, only is not axiomatic that merely because we spend a small but an integral component of a much money and have forces, therefore, we have larger concern. And even internally, the task is much more than a mere physical safeguarding security. The concept is of deep and multi- of our boundaries. Our central concern, when faceted ramifications. I would seek your in- we talk about security is with the preservation dulgence, Sir, to quote on the aspects of of the Indian natiorr and until we are clear national security. Mr. Vice-Chairman, how about the core values of our nationhood and much time will I have? The total time is 24 are able not only to articulate them but also to hours and I would want to be enlightened by obtain a national commitment to them, ' we the Defence Minister's reply. If I had an ideas would not even know what it is that We are of how many speakers would be speaking, attempting to protect or to secure. These core then I could limit myself. values may well be destroyed if the nation is subjected to external aggression. But in today's THE VICE-CHAIRMAN (SHRI R. world, aggression or imperialism has many RAMAKRISHNAN): There are totally about 10 ramifications. It is a finely sophisticated speakers listed here. The total time allotted is 24 weapon and it need not necessary reflect itself hours. The Minister will take about half an hour merely in the form of physical aggression. for his reply. So if you can speak o for about 20 Therefore, when one is talking of national minutes. security concerns. one is talking of the military SHRI MURLIDHAR CHANDRAKANT angle, one is talking or the internal angle, one BHANDARE (Maharashtra): I am prepared i<3 talking of the industrial angle, one is to give him my 20 minu'es. Let him speak for talking of the core values of a nation. And in all 40 minutes. this, it is my submission, it is my belief, Sir, that the most vital component, the most vital SHRI JASWANT SINGH: I am input into nation's defence effort, into a overwhelmed by such generosity. nation's security effort, is the internal. If the internal fabric i weak, if the internal i loose THE VICE-CHAIRMAN (SHRI R. s s then, no amount of military spending will RAMAKRISHNAN): You will also provide to the nation the security that it is have the right of reply, Mr. Jaswant seeking. There is a limitation of time. I do Singh. Therefore, try to limit your wish to come to substantive points. My speech to half an hour. resolution talks of deteriorating security envi- SHRI JASWANT SINGH: To come back to ronment. I submit that through history and in a the point, Sir, the commonly articulated very real geo-strategic sense, there are three Defence Ministry's viewpoint, as is evident components, three strategic components, if one every year in the Defence Budget, is "to is talking of the external security to this preserve as inviolate the frontiers of the nation nation's security. These three components are and its internal sovereighty". This is the the buffer of Tibet, the buffer of Afghanistan commonly-articulated definition of national and the buffer of the Indian Ocean. The very security. To my mind, this is limited both in structuring of this peninsular subcontinent is vision and in application. Of course, the such that it is bound maintenance of internal sovereignty is very much a function of our armed forces. But 229 Resolution re. [25 MAR. 1983 J National Security 230 Constitution of Council by the Himalayas which, p ro-vide a kind of geographical boundaries of our nation does protection, and it is encircled by the Indian not isolate us from the impact of it. We have Ocean which provides us protection from to take into account that in today's situation aggression across the seas. It is my sad duty to what India is faced with is the elimination of point out to this nation, to this House and all its traditionally recognised and historically through the House to whosoever is hearing established 'buffers' which provided us with this, that independent India's history of our the needed security. On top of that is the efforts at preservation of even the territorial existence of grave disturbances grave integrity 0f our country do not stand up to destabilisation in regions of South-East Asia, scrutiny. In the '40s we accepted the biting off in South-West Asia, in West Asia an<j the of a portion of Jammu and Kashmir, in the '50s emergence of the Indian Ocean as the focal we accepted the elimination of the buffer of point, so far as tb oceanic focal points are Tibet, we went on and in the '60s accepted the concerned in the world today I submit that at a biting off of the high plateaux of the Aksai certain level, in this vast area of Eurasian land Chin, in the '60s itself and as continued mass, the strategic struggle is for Central , Asia. In the ocean of earth the strategic through the 70si we accepted a diminution of s our presence in the Indian Ocean. Through struggle is for the Indian Ocean and the independent India's history, therefore, I do strategic struggle for the future doe<, belong submit that what we have witnessed is not a to the conquest of space. kind of success, not an account of the If you take into account these factors, then preservation of the nation's security interests. you will realise that the strategic struggle for We are well aware that around HS in the South Central Asia, in the vast area of Eurasian land Asian region are centred focal points of mass, will embrace areas such as Afghanistan conflict, in South-West Asia, in South-East and will have its ramifications for us. It will Asia, in the West Asia legion, and these focal also cover Tibet and have its ramifications points of conflict, these focal points of strife, which are related to India's security. If you do impinge on our security concerns. It would take into account the strategic struggle for the be trite and simplistic of us to think... oceans, then the Indian Ocean is the focal (Interruption) I am appreciative that the point and Diego Garacia is only a part of it.