SINO-INDIANRELATIoNS

Challenges and Opportunities for 2Ist Century

I

Ediud by

Sudhir Kumar Singh

SOCIETY U"* 'O'1Xfi",i?'T.i,J#ENI NE\r DELHI

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,“物ル″ルル励駕働′ル響″ノ物οて鮒1鑑基惚鵠″ぅ

ISBN 978-81-8274-521‐ 6

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le's Republic76.

ndia and the

ruary, 2008,

r in Review",

ra-confirms-

_10017587.

ces" (2008),

14

Indian Parliament and Sino-Indian

Relations

S. Prabhahar

Introduction

Parliament has always been in the forefront when it comes to the

Sino-Indian relations. Parliament has actively participated in the

debates on the relations between these rwo countries' Members of

Parliament have evinced keen interest in knowing as to what is the

stand of the Government in dealing with its neighbour. Government

on its part has always come out wit}r factual information in letting

th. Members know as to what the Government is thinking and as

to what steps are proposed to be taken in tackling the issues of

concern berween India and China' The major issues concerning rwo

countries are boundary dispute, Tibet, Dalai Lama' repeated

incursions by the Chinese in Arunachallradesh, etc' These issues

always *irr..d interest in Parliament. But*hat is the reality? -Whether

*d to what extent Indian Parliament has been effective in exercising

influence and control over its foreign policy in general?

\7e proPose to examine the Constitutional provisions'

Parliamentary Inputs on Sino-Indian relations, Ministry of External

Affairs, Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs'

consultative committee for the Ministry of External Affairs,

Influence of Committees on Foreign Policy, Debates in the 14th Lok

Sabha, Debates in the 15th Lok Sabha, the Role of Press' and

Limitations.

262ヽ

'″

ο―ル″グ″″R′″ぁ郷

Constitutional Provisions

The founding fathers of the constitution of India had opted for aparliamentary form of Government in which parliament is thesupreme legislative body and the executive is accountable toParliament. This is clearly stipulated in crause (3) of Articl e 75 ofthe constitution, which proclaims that "the council of Ministersshall be collectively responsible to the House of the people." Foreignpolicy, being a part of public policy, too is not immun. fro"mparlia-mentary control, ar least in theory. There are various orherconstitutional provisions related to foreign affairs of the country andthat of Parliamentt role in the implementation of foreign policy.

Moreover, Article 246 of the Indian Constitutiori .rrrpo*.r,Parfiament to legislate on all aspects of foreign affairs, which is i.fin.das "all mamers which brings the Union intolehtions with any foreigncountry". The Union list includes, among the subjects o*r whilhParliament has legislative powers, tr.aties, diplor.r"ri., consular andtrade represenration, rhe uN and international conferences,international emigration, citizenship, passporrs, visas, etc.

Further Article 253 states: "parliament also has the exclusiveauthoriry to legislate for implementation of international treaties,agreements and conventions, and decisions arrived at anyinternational conferences." '

The aforesaid constitutional provisions apart, parriament isexpected to influence the formularion of foreign policy in a varieryof ways. Its resolutions, either supporting or opposing the policysuggested by the governmenr or by suggesting oi forciig

"po" .[rLgovernmenr new policies, whether,of a broad or of a ,p..ifi. .r"r,rr.,are expecred to affect vitally the broad orientation, detailedformulation, and implemenration of foreign poiicy.r

Parliament can also influence specific "rf..t, of foreign polirythrough its power to sanction appropriationr, by .u*irrgio*n o,increasing rhe budgets of Ministries of Exrernar ArFairs, Dlfence andother allied Ministries. Moreover, parliament has rhe power ro serup by legislation new machinery and governmental institurions forthe making of foreign poliry.

Besides, Members of parliament pardcipating in international

f″″iα″f

delegations, includiresponsibilitY for de

marginallY' Individua

affairs, whether belon

influence the making

or inadequacies in

Government' even \

the other.2

\7ith the above c

tools which helP bo

Indian relations in ir

Parlia-ment to state al

concerning China.

Government to kl

representatives, are 1

Parliamentary In

After China became

to recognize it. Ind1954. But still our

on Tibet and it tor

Lama in 1959. Ch

for its attack. Prob'

and put sPokes in '

To recaPitulate

countries, we can q

interest in foreign

policy outPut as w

which Parliament

relations. A studY

clearly shows how

the Government's

Indian territory'3 A

Parliament had nt

India activities su<

India claimed as l

Lok Sabha on Se

Indian Parliament and Sino'Indian Rektions 263

a had opred for a)arliament is ther accountable to) of tuticle 75 ofrncil of Ministers: People." Foreignrt immune fromare various otherf the country andforeign policy.:ution empowers;, which is defineds with any foreignrjects over whichttic, consular andaal conferences,;as, etc.

las the exclusive'national treaties,arrived ar any

:t, Parliament is,olicy in a varietyrosing the policyforcing upon thea specific nature,.tation, detailedr.l

of foreign policycutting down orrirs, Defence andthe power to set

rl institutions for

in international

delegations, including those sent to the UN, can share the

resplnsibility fo, det"iled policy making, though perhaps only

marginally. individual Members of Parliament specializing in foreign

affaiis, whether belonging to the ruling ParqF or the Opposition'-can

influence the making of fot.lg., policy by drawing attention to defects

or inadequacies in th. poli.i.. pursued or proposed by the

Gov.rnrr,ent, even when no formal resolution is passed one way or

the other.2'lrith the above constitutional provisions, we have parliamentary

tools which help both the Members of Parliament to discuss sino-

Indian relations in its entirery and the Government to come before

parliament to state as to what is happening in regard to foreign affairs

concerning China. The following parliamentary inputs helps the

Go,r.rrr*Jrrt to know as to what the people, through their

representatives, are thinking about its relations with China'

Parliamentary Inputs on Sino-Indian Relations

After china became independent in l949,India was the first country

to recognize it. India accepted Tibet as an integral part of China.in

1g54. Bu still our relationship with china started showing strains

on Tibet and it took an ugly turn when we gave asylum to Dalai

Lama in 1959. china attacked India in 1962 ascribing no reason

for its attack. Probably, the motive was to stop our forward growth

and put spokes in our rycle of development'

To t.."pit.rlate briefly what had happened berween the two

countries, we can quote several instances when Parliament took keen

interest in foreign affairs and in some cases it was able to influence

policy output as well. For example, the most important instance in

which Parliament made its influence felt was over India-china

relations. A study of proceedings of Parliament in 1959 and 1960

clearly shows how critical Members of Parliament (MPs) were about

th. Gor.rrr-entt weak handling of the chinese incursions into the

lndian territory.3 A parliamenrary question which they raised was whyparliament had not been f,ken into confidence about Chinese anti

India activities such as builTiing of a road into Alisaichin atea, which

India claimed. as her territory. This obliged Nehru to admit in the

Lok Sabha on September 12,1959 that was accused with some

254 ,″ο―ル″ノクπ豫肱″οπ

justification, of having kept letters from parliament and that if hehad erred in the past by delaying the placing of papers before theHouse, he would not err again.a

Members of Parliament reacted to the Chinese acrion on Tibetin early 1959. rn the Lok Sabha, reaction to chinat action in Tibetwas sharp and angry. All the opposition parties, excepr the CpI, laidgrear srress on the autonomy ofribet and urged the Government tor1vi9w the whole question of Indo-china friendship in the right ofthe latest developments in Tibet.t

\7hen the chinese attacked India and forcibly took occupationof the Indian territory in Ladakh, Parliament played a significant rolein the foreign poliry of the counrry in the real sense oflhe term. Asstated by a vereran political leader, Bal Raj Madhok, ,.The firstdecisive step in parliamenrary control over the conduct of foreignpolicy was the publication of the first \X/hite paper on China lnresponse to persistent demand and pressure in padiament.,,6

The Members of Parliament showed how vigilant they were aboutsecurity and defence of lndia when the chinese built a road in Ladakhand, later on, occupied Indian territory.in the area. Thus, whenPandit Nehru mentioned that parts of Ladakh were almostinaccessible, though the chinese had built a road in that atea, aMember asked, "Does it mean that in parts of the counrry whichare inaccessible, any nation can come and build roads and camps?The road rema-ins there, the occupation remains there a,d *. do ,rordo anphing about it." Again, when the prime Minister mentionedin ?arliament that a portion of Ladakh was absolutely desolate andinfertile and that nor even a blade of grass gr.* th.r., a Member ofParliament asked, "tvhen china is attaching so much importanceto this desolate piece of land, why, when the territory is ours or isunder dispure even, do we not attach any importance ro ir?,,7

On November 8, the Lok Sabha began its emergency session.Nehru moved a resolution affirming th. Indi"r, p.opr.-t firm resolve"to drive out the Chinese aggressor from India, ho*e,n., long andhard this struggle may be".s Even the CpI criticized the chineseaggression on this occasion. Hiren Mukherjee remarked, *Noideological or other kind of sophistry," and ,,no jugglery ofgeographical or political claims on China's part can lusti$, this

aggresslon. ,

reflecting thr

The fact

had to resigr

1962, is a p

true, as a no

the Congres

Menon's de

Executive w:

brought pre

Cabinet.eIndia-Ct

vigilance on

the sudden

been in touc

Britain in cr

a possible sr

At the sugg

wealth Air'The visit ofParliament,of airplanes

Nehru to e>

was no qu

establishmrwelcomedstrengthen.

Cold wa

\7ith the inunder the.visited Chirin 1988 urchanging e,

But long teOne of

2008. Accc

incursions t

一〓ま■≡≡ξ

魃仁不

and that if he,ers before the

:tion on TibetLction in Tibetr the CPI,laidlovernment toin the light of

ck occupation;ignificant role,f the term. Asrk, "The firstuct of foreignon China in

oent. "6

rey were aboutoad in Ladakh. Thus, whenwere almost

n that area, a:ountry which[s and camps?

rnd we do not:er mentionedr desolate anda Member ofh importancey is ours or is

to it?"7

3ency session.

:t firm resolye

ever long andI the Chinesenarked, "Nor jugglery ofn justi$, this

Indian Parliament and Sino-Indian Relations 265

aggression." A record number of 165 MPs papticipated in the debate,reflecting the deep concern of the entire narion.

The fact that India's then Foreign Minister, V.K. lirishna Menon,had to resign, after the Chinese forces defeated the Indian army in1962, is a proof that Parliamenr is a force in Indian politics. It is

true, as a noted scholar of Indiat foreign policy points our, "It wasthe Congress Pariiamentary Executive which was responsible forMenon's departure, but it is also clear that the ParliamentaryExecutive was, in effect, voicing the mood of Parliament when theybrought pressure on Nehru ro see rhat Menon resigned from theCabinet.e

India-China border conflict apart, Parliament demonsrrated itsvigilance on the issue of providing an air umbrella to India. Sincethe sudden Chinese attack of 1962, the Government of India hadbeen in touch with friendly countries like the United States and GreatBritain in connection with building an effective air defence ro meera possible surprise artack, and a long term threar posed by China.At the suggestion of the Governmenr of India, a USA-Common-wealth Air Team visited India in early 1963 to discuss the matter.The visit of the foreign air ream led to speculation in the press andParliament about the establishment of foreign bases with a numberof airplanes as an 'air umbrella for India.ro This made Prime MinisterNehru to expla-in in the Lok Sabha on February 2t, 1963 that therewas no question of stationing of a foreign air force or theestablishment of foreign bases in India. He added that indiawelcomed help only in procuring equipment and materials tostrengthen her air force.11

Cold war which started simmering in 1962 and it lasted till.1976.Vith the installation of first non-Congress Government at the Centreunder the Janata Parry its foreign minister, Atal Bihari Yajpayeevisited China in 7979. Actual normalization, we could say, took placein 1988 under the Raiiv Gandhi Governsrent.'W'e could find fastchanging economic and strategic r..rr"rrf,Both in India and China.But long term policy with China eluded because of many reasons.

One of the many reasons is incursions-more than 200 alone in2008. According to a newspaper report, 223 incidents of Chineseincursions took place in 2008. There has been incidents of infiltration

266 ,″ο_ル〃″″&L″ο″∫

by the chincsc arlny in DumchOwk border and Lch_Ladakh areas

ll::1:ll』『1」[1:lIIII濡偉

er bCing Arunachal Pradesh_China

radesh as an integraI Part of lndia.

tus wa,givcn tO Arunachal Pradcsh

h00d was grantcd tO thc state Of

糠灘」壁量sttiilttTcreatc Problems for lndia in thc

冒冨:1聟磁11,L寛

=ofa dam by China Over BrahmaF

ycn tO gcneratc 4o NIw clectrici

お Oding httm ma止“

宙山 h鋼膜 乳 :∬コ就 l留

currency. Fake currency t00 flnd

IT二 計

° 霞 C∝ 轟 ng占 駐 ur摯 c∝ h Ncp」 md Astt rtК ttc

婦撃濃欝卜お出発鮮群蒋主熊掛ダatti葛螺 軍■縮農I

l慇留熙惣脚蝸量h hdttchm tt Hm∝ Ll鳳皆り麗きliT盤since the Nintics havc been less emotiOnal as comparcd tO s破

ties.In NOvember2 1996,chinesc Prcsident,Jiang Zemin,宙sited lndiaand signed an Agrecment On COnndence Bunding Mcasures in thc

I犠[鮭接整ittillill∵車鸞蓋亜Building Mcasures agrcement were exchangcd.The then Ministcr Of

、

. External A.f,,, President ol

the talks w.

Minister Pre

Leader of C

"In recer:

substan<

includinmutuallyagree wireflects t

lines.13

It was duDelhi header

with policyConcerte

relationshipevents in 20(a photo-exhrFilm Festiva"fi-easures olcountries. 1strengthen c(

industry fintransportatirtourism, youexpeditiousl;relationship.

Parliamer

however, indof foreign poof the execur

Apart froexist for MGovernmentexercises buc

|

,eh-Ladakh areas

.l Pradesh-China

al part of India.unachal Pradesh

to the State of-arna to Thwangr. China tried to3roup when theStapled yisas to

3ntion. Building,sting 38 millionefuted. China is

Iicate drugs andL market. ULFAfusam get refuge

and negotiationuing the debate

Affairs on April

r pardcular, andbearing on our

our neighbours.ilna policy. The: place since late

988. Since thennore pragmatic.arch for a multi-this pragmatismres on this issue

rred to Sixties.rin, visited IndiaMeasures in theareas. This was

Working Groupt of Confid6nce:hen Minister of

Indian Parliammt and Sino-Indian Rehtions 267

External AfFairs, I.K. Gujral, made a statemenr on rhe visit of thePresident of the Peoplet Republic of China. He delineated details ofthe talks with the Chinese President had with the Indian PrimeMinister President, Vice-President, Speaker of the Lok Sabha and theLeader of Opposition in Parliament and with him. He informed:

"In recent years, India-China relations have acquired maruriry andsubstance. Vhile continuing to address outstanding issues,including the boundary quesrion, we have sought to explainmutually beneficial cooperation in all areas. Hon. Members willagree with me that this policy, pursued over last several years,reflects the consensus in this House, which transcends partylines.13

It was due to this consensus that subsequent Governmenrc in NewDeihi headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee or Manmohan Singh continuedwith policy of improving relations with China.ta

Concerted steps have been initiated by India to strengthen therelationship with China. Some of these are holding a series of culturalevents in 2006 to mark the Year of India-China Friendship, including,a photo-exhibition on India, an 'Indian Cultural Festival', an IndianFilm Festival and a major exhibition of ancient Indian art entitled"Tieasures ofAncient Indid', opening of tourism offices in each otherscountries. Apart from rhe over, major steps have been made tostrengtlen cooperarion in the fields of trade, information technology,industry .fi nance, agriculture, water resources, energy, environment,transportation, infrastructure, health, education, media, culture,tourism, youth affairs and other fields. Both the countries are growingexpeditiously in multifarious fields.'We cannot afford to strain ourrelationship.

Parliamentt procedure, debates and extra-Parliaqentary activiries,however, indicaie that Parlia-ment has a definite f. in th. fr"*i.rgof foreign policy even though foreign poliry comes under the purviewofthe executive.

Apart from consrirutional provisions, a number of opportunitiesexist for Members of Parliament to discuss the role of theGovernment in tailoring foreign poliry of the country. Parliamentexercises budgetary control by debating the demands for grants of

268 Sino-Indian Relations

Ministry of External Affairs, which has I

:T.'"'.'.T:*:l-tl*:'1,,rt9i,,M;::,"ff ;[:'::"fj relevant infcinformationIndian foreig

lost in the pa

seem to be tldiscussed in

This sor

proceedingsenlightenedforeign policstated that ttof the execut:

of Parliamen

In the 15

and 10 MenChairman. IOverseas Aff

Membersexpressing thanalyse natiorthe Minister ,

by the Memforeign polic.of the Comrreports of thto accept in t,

Members ofpoliry and hhave an impz

\7e can qr

in the past.

Committee ,

Vajpayee as

keeping thestructuring nfor discussior

鶯酒犠」撃義∬:iI桑iICLir蕊ぶL」li∝

Cd Ю affC∝ 宙dヶ 山e boadPolicy. ' and imPlementatiOn Of foreign

mattζ鼎と献lttlpolicy. In additiOn, Member(

11鳳fl躍:ξlc町甘

諄l盤ぎ寺聾遺榊 littS麗まParliamentary Standinを committec On External AfFairsAPart■ Om thc dcbatcs in Parlialnent On foκ

lgn POlicy and discttsiOn

Cmcrging issues frOm timc tO dme.

。mL∴F驚笠Ii」∬.鍛1写財梶lttfTtteTl理 :COmmittces and the Mcmbcrs Of the cOmlnittces gencrally get all

the principalreporr on the: Governmentt

supporting or' by suggestingher of a broadrlly the broadion of foreign

gislation new<ing of foreign:ticipating inLtrtr can share

perhaps onlyzing in foreignpposition, can.tion to defectsrosed by the:d one way or

lommittee onrelations withil, apart from

-l Affairs

urd discussion

.irs, and otherthe' country,s plays a verythe Ministry

.nd any other

cused, as topbefore these

rerally get all

Indian Parliament and Sino-Indian Rektions 269

relevant information from the top officials then and there. Suchinformation can be termed as authentic and valuable. An expert onIndian foreign policy, therefore, remarl6, "\firh the increasing timelost in the pandemonium inside the halls of Parliament, Committeesseem to be the oniy escape buzz in which issues involved in Bills arediscussed in detail, without any disruption.ls

This sort of exercise enhances the level and standard ofproceedings of the committee and indirectly paves way to theenlightened discussions when issues relating to foreign affa-irs andforeign policy are discussed in the Lok Sabha. It may therefore bestated that they often acr as conveyer belts for the opinion and viewsof the executive branch on different policies to the larger membershipof Parliament.r6

In the 15th Lok Sabha, there are 21 Members from Lok Sabhaand l0 Members from Rajya Sabha with Shri Ananth Kumar as

Chairman. This Committee also deals with Ministry on IndianOverseas Af,hirs.

Members of Parliament thus get ample opportunities forexpressing their views in the Commimee to thoroughly examine andanalyse national as well as internadonal issues. On international issues,

the Minister of External Affairs tries to respond to the views expressedby the Members and, accordingly, changes are incorporated in theforeign policy of the country. But it does not happen in the meetingsof the Commirtee and its reporrs. The recommendations made inreports of the Committee are nor mandatory for the Governmentto accept in toto.They are advisory in nature. But in the Committees,Members of Parliament take up pressing issues involving the foreignpolicy and have heaithy and threadbare discussions, whichlvouldL"u.

"r, impact on the Government's policies and decisionf

\7e can quote rhe way meetings of the Commimee were conductedin the past. During the Narasimha Rao Government, StandingCommittee on External Affairs was headed by Shri Atal BehariVajpayee as Chairman. The Committee ensured its efficacy bykeeping the attention focused on rhe predetermined agenda andstructuring meetings in a manner in which there was sufficient timefor discussion as well as for questions and alswers.lT

■

■

270Sノπο_fz〃グクzたレ″。″∫

Members Of the COmmittce On Extcrnal AfFairs fecl a sense Of

contentment that they are cxalnin

and thcir sγ is cOnsidered by thc{

器椰憾暴Lt賭

録 ∫::』譜凛

VIFulr刷lR∬

Minister OfExternal AfFails as wcll

ll崩ち,方り被」撼萌Ъノ簿Parliarnent,moreOver,can inlucnce thc fOrlnation OffOreign p01icy

thrOugh its cOnsultativc committce On External AfFairs alsO.As its

躙よ惚乱上濃F誕電ょ」甜■認匙xl漱厳

灘 ぎlililil螢iiliFI『lmェょLrHl鳳電

)lictt which cannot be disc10sed

ln tlc 15th LOk Sabha,ShH S.M.nshna,Ministcr Of Extern」

締 据 茎 IttIFFttl瑞黒 驚 ∫:Lrm

)a MembcL This COinmittec has29 Mcmbcrs, Out Of v/hich 13 Members frOm LOk sabha,which

歌 麟 ∬羅柵 s監 :・楡 ご駆鵠 雷

難鷲妻難蓬抑サ鶏枷譜器露lbers.19

The cOnsultative COmmittec Of Parliamcnt fOr thc Ministry Of

論理枷凛職捕群塁讐道r盤programmcs and Plalls Of thc Mir

繊l胤濯t胤∬II:書暴よ恥基:導L警tO womcn cmpowerincnt.As its n

perform e

Consultatithe procee,

with detail

which can:

of Parliam,link betwe

Since P

it hardly Iincluding {

as ConsultDemands,documentrePorts, et(

as top offi<

Committeinformatio

Often,position tccontributetaken intoare deait ir

Can Comn

Parliament

through itr

State-to-StofState, ar

foreign poParliamenconsultati<

Members,of India, tthe Indianperform a

A criti<no author

.irs feel a sense ofiirs of the countrF.e right perspective

rg into the foreignrls of the Ministrycerta-in issues.18' the Ministry ofknow first-hand'nal Affairs as well.ry'

'Affairs

r of foreign poliry{ffairs also. As irsrely consultativeittee do, however,: the meetings are

ional situation tonot be disclosed

nister ofExternal: for t-he Ministryer of State in thes Committee has

ok Sabha, which, 15 Members of

'e, which includes

te in the Ministryrasamy, arrd Shri

r the Ministry ofral link berweenhemes, policies,il Affairs. If it is

instrument foron issues relatingit is expected to

Indian Parliament and Sino-Indian Relations 271,

perform a purely consukative function. The meetings of theConsultative Committee do, however, serve one usefirl purpose. Sincethe proceedings of the meetings are confidential, Ministers can parrwith details and situations emanadng on a certain policy or issue,which cannot be disclosed elsewhere. The Consultative Committeeof Parliament on External Affairs is drus an important institutionallink berween Parlia-ment and Government.

Since Parliamenr meets only 80-85 days approximately in a year,it hardly finds time to discuss various aspects of public policiesincluding foreign policy. Hence, Qsrnrni6sss-both Standing as wellas Consultative-assume significance as rhese Committees exa_mineDemands of Granrs of various ministries as well as long-term policydocuments of the Government-Annual Reports, Action Takenreports, etc. In the Commitree set-up, discussions are more focused,as top officials of the Ministry of External Affairs depose before *reseCommittees and Members generally get relevant and authenticinformation.

Often, there has been a debate whether Committees are in a

position to influence the foreign poliry, to what extend, Committeescontribute in framing of the foreign policy, whether its inputs aretaken into account by the Government of the day et al. These issuesare dedt in the following chapter.

Can Committees Influence Foreign Policy?

Parlia.ment, moreover, can influence the formation of foreign policythrough its consultative role whose practices in this regard vary fromState-to-State. In the US, the tradition has grown up of Secretariesof State, and even Presidents, consulting individual Congressman onforeign poliry issues. In the UK, there is no formal committee ofParliament on foreign affairs, although there is a convenrion ofconsultation between the Members of Government and imponantMembers of Parliament with regard to t}re foreign policy. In the case

of India, there is a Consultative Committee on External Affairs inthe Indian Parliament, whose name indicates that it is expected toperform a purely consultative function.

A cridque argues: "The Consultative Commitrees have absolutelyno authoriry or responsibilities. At best, the Members can make

)7')Sz″ο.ル〃ソ″″R′ル″ο2_c

recommendations to the Minister but he is not obligated in any wayto consider their advice or suggestions."2, The meetings of theConsultative Committee do, howwer, serve one useful purpose. Sincethe proceedings of the meetings are confidential, Ministers can givedetails of international situations to the makers of Indiat for.lgnpolicy, which cannot be disclosed elsewhere.2l

Though it is not mandatory on the part of the Government toaccept the recommendadons of the committee, in recenr past, moreand more recommendations of the committee

"r. "...pa.J. To prove

this point, we rake the recommendations of the r4th Lok Sabla.If we analyse the recommendations of the 14th Report of rhe

standing committee on External Affairs (14th Lok Sabha), we cansee that 80.95 per cent of recommendations/observadons of theCommittee were accepred by the Governmenr.22

In the case of the 15th Report of the Standing committee onExternal Affairs, we can find that almost 100 per cenr recom-mendations/observations contained in the 15th Report on Demandsfor Grants (2007-08) of the Ministry of External A-ffa-irs, presentedto the Lok Sabha on April 26, ZOOT were accept.j by th.Government.23 Hence, we can say that committees serv. th. purposeof their exisrence. Though recommendations of the commit,..

"r.not binding on the Government, we can see that over the years rhistrend has slowly been changed and at present most of therecommendations of the Committee are accepted by theGovernmenr.2a An analyst of lndia's foreign policy, ther.for., obr.rv..,"There is a healthy attitude that the process of securing a grearerdegree of accountabiliry of the execurive branch to the legilht,ir. *dthe people, is a continuing one."25

Likewise, out of 20 recommendations26 made by the srandingcommittee on the Action Thken on rhe II Report (15th Lok Sabha)on Demands for Grants of the Ministry of External Affairs (zoo9-1.0), 12 were accepred (600/o). This shows that Standing Committeedo serve the purpose and its recommendations a-r. not o.riyconsidered by the Governmenr but also accepted.

Debates in the 14th Loh Sabha'wide ranging issues relating to Sino-Indian relations have been

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Indian Parliament and Sino-Indian Relations zl3

debated in Lok Sabha during the 14th Lok Sabha. In all 4l questions,

both Starred (Oral) and Unstarred (\Tritten) Questions were asked

concerning Sino-Indian relations. Questions related to as varied as

Talks on Indo-China Boundary Disputes, External Affairs Minister'svisit to China, Border dispute with China and Bangladesh, Indo-China Agreement on Tibet, Construction of Barrage by China on

Sutlej fuver, Agreements signed with China, Rational use of 'Water

Resources by China, China's Claim over Buddhist enclave Thwangin Arunachal Pradesh, Prime Minister's yisit to China. Visit ofExternal Affa-irs Minister to China, India-China Discussions on'WaterSharing, MoUs between India and China, Indo-China participationon global Issues, Road Link to Tibet by China, Tlain Service to NepalBorder by China, Strengthening Relations with china, SrrategicDialogue with China et al.

There has never been any doubt that trust Ievels berween Indiaand China are low, which has been highlighted in Parliament whenthe debate took place on foreign policy or Sino-Indian relations. Aconstant point of discussion has been authoritarian nature of China.

These interventions in Lok Sabha had brought to the fore thecore issues involving India and China. This debate has helped Indiain evolving a strategy to deal with the issues relating to China. TheGovernment on its part has come out with the factual informationon the issues asked by the Members. Debates certainly throws lighton the issues in vogue and heips Parliament to know as to what theGovernment is thinking on an issue and as to how it is going toresolve them.

Debates in the I5th Lok Sabha

In the 15th Lok Sabha, till 18th August, 2010,34 (2 Starred-oraland 32 Unstarred-written) questions have been asked which soughtinformation from the Ministry of External Affairs. Subject rangedfrom Indo-China land issue, rail link berween China and Pakistan,Foreign policy regarding China, Chinat rail service to Nepal border,discussions berween India and China, encroachment along Indo-China border. China making military bases in Indian neighbouringcountries, issue of Visa by China to Indian narionals, etc.

It is pertinent to point out the debate that took place in the 15th

274 Sino-Ind.ian Rektions

Lok Sabha, on 9th December, 2009 on Sino-Indian relations. Thisdebate took primarily because of the developmenrs that took piacein the Indo-China borders. M*y prominent Members from differentpolitical panies participated. Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi of BJB KhagenDas, B. Mahtab of BJD, Anant Geete of Shiv Sena, Sanjoy Thkamoffrom Arunachal \fest, Prabod Panda ofCPI.

Murli Manohar Joshi of BJP emphasized on cenruries old deepcultural, philosophical and commercial relations bet'i.een India andChina. India has always extended the hand of friendship towardsChina but was never reciprocated by China. This was so when Indiaherself was under the influence of colony. He urged the Governmentto seriously think about Sino-Indian relations.

Sandeep Dikshit of Congress wanted the Government rostrengthen ourselves and ro clear the doubts and apprehensions ofthe Members in regard ro our relations with China. He wanted toknow as to whar transpired berween the prime Ministers of indiaand china in the ASEAN Summit and the problems that exists asof now

Khagen Das of Communiry Parry of India (CpI) highlighted asto how India and China is growing economically, militarily andtechnologically. He stated that India shares a long border with china.But he agreed that due to the incursions in Arunachal pradesh byChinese forces, the issue has to be dealt delicately and with fullunderstanding. He emphasized the relevance of panchasheel policy.He advised the Government to address the border problem peacefirnywith a view to resolve them amicabiy across the table.

B. Mahtab of Biju Janata Dal emphasized about the rhetoricalstatements and ground realities to buttress growing tensions betweenIndia and china.we have been stressing the obvious that ArunachalPradesh and Sikkim are parrs of India. Likewise, we have made ourstand on Tibet rhar it is part of china. He emphasized the need forstrengthening our reladonship with china in spite of our borderdispute of 7962.

Anant Geete of Shiv Sena Party stressed that Indiat goodnessshould not be consrrued as weakness and that our relations withchina and other neighbours should be on equal footing and this mustevidently be reflected in our foreign policy.

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Indian Parliament and Sino-lndian Rehtions 275

Sanjoy Thkam of Congress from Arunachal Pradesh laid stress on

giving utmost prioriry to our internal and external securiry and urged

the Government that we should be prepared for any eventualiry and

that there should be good harmony beween the Ministries of Home,Defence and External Affairs.

S.K. Krishna, Minister of External Afhirs, while replying to the

debate touched whole gamut of issues concerning both the countries.At the outset, he brought out civilizational and spiritual links between

India and China. India is striving for strengthening our relationship.India and China would be economic superpowers in the next 25

years. He underlined the fact that china have had good relations andat times strained relations also. In 2010, we would be celebrating the

60th year of the starting of the diplomatic relationship with China.He is optimistic that China would reciprocate India's friendship.There have been regular high level political exchanges between ourPrime Minister and the Chinese Premier. Both the countries knowand agree on the importance of strengthening cooperation and

maintaining bilateral relations.

He touched on many issues like defence exchanges, bilateral trade,

which touched a new high of 52 billion US dollars in 2009, energy,

tourism, education, culture, science and technology, civil aviation,water resources, etc. He laid specific emphasis on boundary question.He acceded that it is a complex issue. He explained to the Members

of Parliament that we have only a Line of Actual Control berweenthe rwo countries and that we should find an acceptable solution.India has conveyed it to the Chinese leadership that the differences

over the boundary questions should not hamper our functionalcooperation in other areas. India has underscored the importance ofmaintaining peace and tranquiliry in our border areas.

He explained the Indiat efforts to develop infrastructure over theborderline of two countries. He accepted that there were 200 or moreincursions. He also stated that there is a mechanism to sort out ordefuse issues of incursions. He recounted his talks with his Chinesecounterpart, who mentioned that China would adhere to fiveprinciples of co-existence. If adhered to, most of our problems wouldget automatically resolved.' Stapled Visas have become a bone of contention berween India

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in Lok Sabha. For instance, abour the query on stapled visa issuedto the people of Kashmir raised by a number of Members, he statedthe Government's stand that it is not going ro compromise with thevisa poliry. He reiterated indiat stand that Arunachal pradesh is partand parcel of our counrry. He srressed that India is fully cognirrntof the need to prorect and safeguard our borders and assuied theHouse that India would ensure that there is no erosion of oursovereignry. In this connection, he stated that India-china borderareas are being constantly monitored and India is strengthening itsinfrastructure in the border areas and our defence ,y*.- is *.ttestablished and highly efficient. He also assured the Members thatthere is excellent coordination berween various Deparrments of theGovernment. V&ile concluding, he emphasized that we musr learnfrom the experience that conflict is not a solution and diarogue andnegotiation provide the best way forward.

As can be seen, the reply of the Minister of External Affairs comesout with all the detaiis pertaining to the foreign affairs during theperiod and puts forth the views a,'d policy marters of the Gor.rnm.ntbefore Parliament for the consumprion of the Members as well aspublic in general. This gives an opporruniry to also srare as to whatthe Government would be pursuing in the days ro come as well asthe exact siruation prevailing concerning respective countries withwhich India is having relationship.

In addition to the above, the debate on foreign policy inParliament, of course, evokes mixed interests from its members. Acase in point is the debate on the Demands for Grants of the Minisryof External Affairs in the 15th Lok Sabha on 20th April, 2010. Thedebate was initiated by Murli ManoharJoshi of BJp Deepender SinghHooda of Congress, Mulayam Singh Yadav of Samajwadi parry SudlpBanyopadhyay of trinamool Congress, Chandrakant Khaire of ShivSena Parry Raghuvansh Prasad Singh of RashtriyaJanata Dal, amongothers, participated.

Dr. Joshi said that the foreign policy of a country is supplementedby its economic policy. He wanted the Governmenr ro review theprinciples adopted 50-60 years. Mulayam Singh yadav of SamajwadiParry stated that india has cordial relations and economic ties with

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Indian Parliament and Sino-Indian Rehtions 277

orher counrries but china has never been a friend of India and will

never be one. He further remarked, "China attacked us in 1962 and

occupied our 1 lakh square km. territory.'7

Wfrit. replying to the debate, S.M. IGishna, Minister of External

Affairs, stat;d that right through Nehrus time, India have fierecely

pursued an independent foreign policy. And that India led the Non-

Aligned Movement in the worid. He agreed that there are complex

issues in our relationship with china. He believed that dialogue and

negotiations are the best ways to resolve outstanding issues with

Chir". Efforts are being made to help to deepen mutual

understanding.28

The Role of Press

There cannot be rwo opinions about the role of Press in the

parliamentary democracy which we Pursue. It is primarily from the

Press, Members get the inputs for debates and discussions in

Parliament. Press forms public opinion through its columns in

newspapers. Thus, plays a vital role not only in bringing forth the

vrrious aspecrs of foreign policy to the fore through its insights but

also helpi the Members of Parliament and public alike to know

various facets offoreign policy, the goings-on in the field offoreign

policy and as to what Government is doing in the realm of foreign

policy. It also keeps tab of what is transpiring between the

Government and its relationship with other countries.

Press also brings out the various developments related to Indiat

relationship with China from time to time. Here, it would be

pertinent to point out the Keynote Address by the National Securiry

Advisor at ICVA S. ICS Sgminar on "India and China: Public

Diplomacy, Building Underdnding" on lst April 2010, he reminded

of the visionaryJoint Statement issued by Prime Minister Manmohan

Singh and Premier \7en Jiabao in January, 2008. He quoted: "both

.o,rrrtries share common positions and approaches on several major

international issues of long-term significance such as the environment

and climate change, energy securiry food securiry remaking the

institutions of global governance' and international support for

national economic andsocial development efforts." These sorts ofexposures in Press helps the Members of Parliament to know as to

-*1._j,)

I

278 ,″ο=ル〃ブ́″んぁ蒻絡

whatis hapPening bcsten lndia and China and in whatsector,India

is fOrging agrecments with china and what would be the bencnts t。

be accrued Out Of thein.

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the making of Indthe Constitution b

concerning foreigParliament, ParliParliament, of cor

Parliament have Ithink. Parliament

policy acceptable

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zhat sector, Indiae the benefits to

:lationship withalso srates fromare peaceful for

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l6 violadons ofe helicopters in

l-term plans ofinvestments india's sovereigntyh in Parliament

:ly, one cannotn utilizing the

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;n policf should; regard.3o Thke:ees. The onlypolicies is the

stry of Externdauthoriry or

: foreign policy.o the Minister,heir advice or

of late, we c:rnommendations

The meetings, of course, serye one uieful purpose. Since theproceedings of the meetings are confidential, ministers can givedetails of international situations and Indiat foreign poliry *lii.hca'nor be disclosed elsewhere. committee m.etings ih,r, ,.*. ,ogive all members of parliament who are interested an opportuniqyto hear all the facts and details which the Minister ."r, gir. to th.committee but not on the floor of the House in the nationarinterest. However, since the committeet advice has no binding

'effect, the Government may not act in accordance with theCommittee's recommendations.

In the Monsoon session of 15th Lok sabha had 26 sittings spreadover 136 hours and 10 minutes, out of which 45 hours *.r. lor.due to disruptions. This was cited by Hon ble Speaker. she remarked,"Parliament is meant for debates and discussions; any matterpermissible under the constitution and Rules of procedures can bediscussed here. But t-tre trend of disruption the proceedings days onend is alarming, and, if not checked, will ultimateiy lead to lrrfoi.r..,circumstances. "3l

Conclusion

To sum up, Parliament has had a mixed record as far as its role inthe making of Indiat foreign policy till the 19g0 is concerned. \7hilethe constitution bestows on Parliament powbrs to legislate on marrers

_ concerning foreign poliry and the Government is responsible toParliament, Parliament normally played only an advisory role.Parliament, of course, had an educative impact and discussions inParliament have had the result of showing Se world how Indiansthink. Parliament also educated people and hlped in making foreignpolicy acceptable in many ways.

On the whole, however, Parliament could restrain theGovernment in the making of foreign policy only on rare occasionsbecause of factors cited above and especially because of the dominanceof congress and its charismatic leaders. However, with the dawn ofthe coalition era in Indian politics, the situation drasticaly changedsince 1990s. But pinpricks over Arunachal pradesh by Chin"esedispensation and its blatant interference in the interni affairs ofArunachal Pradesh had marred the relations from time ro time.

--i

280 Sグ″ο_ノ77atα″、レ″′ο″∫

Chinese Premier \7en Jiabaot visit to India in December, 2010with 300 stronqfusiness delegadon to hold summit level talla upuldusher rn new vistas in the bilateral relations between our twocountries. And the inidal remarks of \wen on randing in Delhi thatchli a,,d India enjoy more than 2,000 years of traditLnal friendshipwould give a much needed impetus not only to further open up newareas of businesses but also strengthen our relationship with bhirr"by resolving pending issues concerning both th. .o,r..rtri., in the yearsto come. contentious issues like construction activities in pakistanoccupied Kashmir, objection to the visits of dignitaries of India toArunachal Pradesh, incursions by chinese roldi.r, into Indianterritory would be taken up now as welr as prime Ministert visit tochina at a later date on the invitation of chinese premier Here,Parliament can play a vital and decisive rore in furthering sino-Indian relations by contributing in a consrructive way tf,roughdebates in Parliament and incisive discussions during rf,edeliberations of committee proceedings. Hence, parliamerit canplay a vital and decisive role in furthering sino-Indian relations inthe years ahead.

Though Indian Parliament has a limited rore in the making ofIndiat foreign policy, on sensitive issues such as relations *itli it,neighbours, china, Parliament has shown keen interest and has beenabie to influence policy outputs to a considerable extent. It has playeda significant role at least during the crisis situation. ro p"t itdifferendy, though the Government of the day may nor alier itsforeign policy mereiy on the basis of the opinion e*piesr.d by someMembers of Parliamenr or even on consensus arrived

"t in parliam.nt,

one can hardly deny the fact that parliament contributes in its ownways ro rhe Governmentt efforts ro meer the challenges at exrernalfront by arriving ar a consensus on a particurar issue r.gldirrg foreignpolicy. By working together, both india and china J"n riri .ro,lnisolation. conflicrs berween our rwo counrries could only cost us andit would further our growth in any manner. In this scenario, in thepresent coalition era, Parliamenr can certainly play a prominent rolein the making of Sino-lndian policy.

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Indian Parliament and Sino-Indian Relations 281

ENDNoTES

1. J. Bandyopadhyaya, The Making of India's Foreign Pol2ry (New Delhi:Allied Pubiishers, 1980), p.159.

2. Ibid., p. t59.3. Loh Sabha Debates, August 28, 1959, September 4, 1959, September

12, 1959, November 17,1959, November 25, 1959, November 27,I 959, December 27, 1 959, December 22, 1 959, April 29, 1960; RajyaSabha Debates, August 31, 1959, September 4, 1959, September 10,

1959, December 8, 1959, December 9,1959, andApril2g,1960.4. Jawaharlal Nehru, Indials Foreign Poliry (New Delhi: Publications

Division, Government of India), p.354, See also, Debate in the Loh

Sabha, September 72, 1959, vol.34, Second Series, col.8 1 85.

5. India, Lok Sabha, Debates, series 2, session 7, vo.27, March L6, 1959,cols. 6457-60.

6. B"l R4 Madhok, "Parliamentt Influence on the Conduct of Foreign

Policl', The Joumal of Parliamentary Information, Vol.15, No.2,October 1969. p.71.Appadorai, n. 33, p.72.Ibid.25r.Bhandhyopadh aya, n.6, pp.120 -2.

Appadorai, n.33, pp.7 3-7 4.India Lok Sabha, Debatet Voi.13, February 21,1963, co1.546.

India, Lok Sabha, Debates, Demands for Grants of the Ministry ofExternal Affairs for 1990-91 on April 4, 1990 - http://www.parliamentofindia.nic.in - Rerieved on 20.04.2004-to findout whether it is from net or library.India, Lok Sabha, Debates,'Statement' December 05, 1996, hup.l Iparliamentofindia.nic.in/lsdeb/is I 1/ses3/0205129601.htm, Retrieved

on 22.02.2008.For an overview of India-china relations, see Swaran Singh, "India-

oChina Relations: Coming to a Full circle" in Nalini Kant Jha, ed,

India\ Foreign Policy in a Cbanging World Gr{,ew Delhi: South AsianPublications, 2000), pp. 13 1-48.

Interview with A.K. Ray, Professor of Polidcal Science (Retd.),

Jawaharlal Nehru Universiry in New Delhi on February 2, 2008.However, K. Natwar Singh, fie former External Affairs Ministers andthe the Rajya Sabha Member expressed the view in his interview on

January 24, 2008 that "Committees have not functioned as well as

they shouid. There is a room for improvement."Kamath, n.18, p.236.

14.

16

‐

:E

282 ,″ο―ル〃グク″R′腸″ο務

17. Shukla, ibid., p.216.18. Interview with Narwar Singh, former External Affairs Minister and

former Rajya Sabha Member in New Delhi on Z4.l.Z0Og.19. http://mpa-nic, Accessed on 14.09.2010.20. Judirh M. Brown, "Foreign Poliry Decision Making and l?fdian

Parliament", Journal of Constitutional & parliamenury Studies (NewDelhi), Vol.3, No.2, April-June, 1969, p. 43.

21. N.M. Khilnani, "The Role of Parliamenr in Foreign Affairs,,, Journal ofConstitution and Parliarrtentary Studies (New Delhi), Vol. 6, No.4,October-December, 1971 p.32. See also, Dinesh Singh, .,The IndianParliament and Foreign Policy', Tbe parliamenr (New Delhi), No.l,January 1970, pp.157 -1 60.

22. rndia, Lok Sabha, Report of the Standing committee of the Ministry ofExternal ffiirs - http:llwww.parliamentofindia.nic.in _ Retrie,rei on3.3.2008.

23. Indie, Lok Sabha, Report of the Standing Cornminee of the Ministry ofExternal ffiirr - http:i/www.parliamentofindia.nic.in - Ret.ieveJ o.,3.3.2008.

24. lndia, Lok Sabha, D ebates, http://parliamentofindia.nic.in. 1 64. 1 00.24.209 I newls/debtext_nls.asp - Assessed pm 1 g. I 0.2007.

25. P.M. Kamath, "Foreign Policymaking in India: Need for CommitteeSy.tem ro Strengthen the Role of parliament," Strategic Analysis (NewDelhi), Vol.9, No.10, Jan.t987, p.231.

26. Sixrh Report, Standing Committee on External Affairs (2009-10),May,2010.

27 . Debate on Demands for Grants of Ministry of External Affairs (20 i 0-11), dt. 20.04.2010.Ibid.,*ian Age, New Delhi, dated 24.12.2009 "Chinese checkers in J&K.Nalini Kant Jha, "Parliamentary Democracy in India: Reflections andChallenges", in G. Gopa Kumar, ed., Future of parliamentaryDemocracy in India (New Delhi: Icon publishers, 2007), pp. 2O-4i.See also, Sandeep Shastri, "Parliamentary Democrary and CoalicionGovernmenrs: Negotiating Spaces," in ibid., pp.334-361.Indian Express, 1st September, 2010.

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