Parliamentary debates and interventions have deeply affected and shaped Indian foreign policy, asserts K V Prasad in his well-researched and much needed book titled, “Indian Parliament: Shaping Foreign Policy [ KW Publishers -ICWA].”
KV Prasad. A distinguished journalist on parliamentary reporting, politics and foreign affairs, lucidly cites several instances to substantiate how Indian parliament and parliamentarians have shaped the country’s foreign policy. He focuses on three specific dimensions—security, geo-economic, and geo-political/strategic—through key decisions that left a lasting imprint on India’s foreign policy. These include the Indian Peacekeeping Force in Sri Lanka, India joining the World Trade Organisation (WTO), and the India-United States Civil Nuclear Cooperation. He clinically examines these developments at the intersection of politics, policy, and processes, exploring whether Parliamentary interventions altered the course of these policies.
The book is laced with several interesting nuggets and anecdotes. Prasad tells us how the NDA-BJP prime minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee leans on opposition, that too, the Left parties on the vexed issue of sending troops to Iraq. Apparently, Vajpayee was under pressure from the USA to send troops to Iraq. Next Vajpayee reaches out to CPI general secretary A B Bardhan and CPM general secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet. The two leaders, ideologically opposed to Vajpayee, offer several reasons why India should not be sending its troops to Iraq. Vajpayee, somewhat convinced, tells Bardhan and Surjeet to raise the pitch of opposition shriller in parliament and outside. The Bush administration in 203 had hoped that India would send a full army division of 17,000 or more soldiers to serve in the Kurdish region around Mosul. Had Vajpayee agreed to send troops, it would have given Americans international texture to occupation forces that were largely American and British troops.
“Indian Parliament: Shaping Foreign Policy” provides its readers a glimpse of Pranab Mukherjee’s ready wit. Mukherjee, who served as foreign, finance, defence and commerce minister under various prime ministers, had interjected a personal note during the contentious debate on the India-U.S. Civil Nuclear deal in 2008 telling parliamentarians how he had been accused of “mortgaging” the country’s interest. He said each time he negotiated with the World Bank, IMF or the United States, it was said the Minister would come out on a stretcher, whereas in reality he came out with his head on his shoulders and walking on his feet. MPs, cutting across party lines, could not help applauding Mukherjee’s sense of humour.
Prasad reminds us that there was a time when parliamentarians were not sent as part of official delegations abroad and the matter had come under discussion in the Constituent Assembly. Jawaharlal Nehru government, in its initial, post-independence era, was categorial that MPs would not be part of any delegation. Prasad quotes Nehru as countering the suggestion and saying, “the idea of a member [MP] seeking to apply to be part of a delegation was neither in consonance with their dignity, nor with the dignity of their work.”
The MPs, having deep interest in foreign policy issues, had once asked Nehru why the Indian Ambassador to the United States was travelling from coast-to-coast in the United States. Nehru told the House that the idea occurred to him during travel to the US how goodwill for the country can be increased if the Indian envoy was made available to the Indian diaspora and trade representatives. It helped the government connect with Indians residing in the USA and students who were studying all over America.
Prasad also tells us how MPs once questioned prime minister Nehru’s expenditure on his travel abroad. The prime minister or the treasury benches, were far from getting offended even as Nehru went on to explain that only three officials and his daughter Indira Gandhi had accompanied him. Nehru also clarified in parliament that Indira’s expense was paid privately and not charged to the official account. The delegation paid for a round trip from Delhi to London, while the US President sent his plane to be flown in from London and dropped back to India. Such was the level of credibility, candidness and transparency in public life and a deep sense of accountability towards parliament of India.
The timing of Prasad’s “Indian Parliament: Shaping Foreign Policy” published by the Indian Council of World Affairs, is appropriate as increasingly parliament is being wrongly viewed as an extended arm of the government or a forum for protests and frequent disruptions by the opposition.
Prasad highlights the pivotal role of the Parliament of India in shaping the country’s foreign policy. Over the decades, MP, as representatives of the people, have reviewed and influenced policies pursued by the government. As we all understand, under the Indian Constitution, Parliament is vested with the power to make laws for the whole or any part of India to implement treaties, agreements, or conventions with other countries, or decisions made at international conferences, associations, or bodies.
