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Opposition parties are furious over the government’s silence two days after the December 9 clash between Chinese troops and Indian troops in Arunachal Pradesh’s Dawang sector’s Yangtze area.
Other parties including the main opposition Congress are questioning why the government has remained silent for two days.
Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh explained the government’s side in Parliament on Tuesday regarding the clash between the two sides on the border.
At the same time, Amit Shah raised questions about the China policy adopted by the Congress party when it was in power at the center in this whole matter.
He did not spare India’s first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru.
Amit Shah also said that due to Nehru’s love, India lost its permanent membership in the UN Security Council.
Is Nehru responsible for India not getting permanent membership in the UN Security Council?
China has used its veto power against India’s resolutions in the Security Council over the years.
China is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.
While India is displeased with China’s stance, the main opposition Congress is targeting and criticizing the Moti government.
BJP is opposing this stand of Congress.
Former Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad once said in his press conference, pointing to a copy of ‘The Hindu’ dated January 9, 2004, that ‘India’s first Prime Minister Nehru refused permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council in favor of India and gave it to China’.
The Hindu published this news citing the book ‘Nehru – The Invention of India’ by Congress leader and former United Nations Under-Secretary General Shashi Tharoor.
Shashi Tharoor has written in his book that in 1953, India received a proposal to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council, but the then Indian side gave it to China.
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Tharoor wrote that Indian diplomats saw the file containing Nehru’s denial. It mentions that Nehru suggested giving this post to China instead of Taiwan.
The implication of Ravi Shankar Prasad’s comments is that Nehru is the reason why China is a permanent member of the UN Security Council today and India has to face the consequences.
Now Indian Home Minister Amit Shah has made the same accusation.
However, many feel that Nehru’s critics on this point ignore many other facts.
The United Nations was created in 1945. The related organizations were just beginning to take shape.
When the members of the Security Council were added in 1945, India was not even independent.
On September 27, 1955, Nehru categorically stated in the Indian Parliament that India had received no unofficial proposal to become a permanent member of the Security Council.
On 27th September 1955 Dr. J.N. Responding to Barek’s questions, Nehru said, “No official or unofficial proposal has been received for India to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council. Some dubious references are being cited. There is no truth in them. The United Nations Security Council was created under the UN Charter. Some countries got permanent membership in it.
No change can be made or a new member can be added without amending the charter. In such a situation, there is no question whether India was given space or India refused to accept it.
“It is our declared policy that all countries eligible for membership in the United Nations should be included in it,” he said.
Late former finance minister Arun Jaitley had also accused Jawaharlal Nehru of supporting China’s permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council.
” Nehru supported China instead of India. He has made a big mistake on China and Kashmir,” Jaitley had said.
Arun Jaitley had quoted Nehru’s letter to state chief ministers on August 2, 1955 on Twitter.
“On 2 August 1955, Nehru wrote a letter to the Chief Ministers. The US has unofficially said China should be admitted to the United Nations, not the Security Council. India should be given a seat in the Security Council. But Nehru said that China’s non-inclusion in the Security Council is an injustice,” Jaitley said in his Twitter post.
What is history?
In the 1950s, India reportedly strongly supported China’s inclusion in the UN Security Council. At that time this post was held by Taiwan. The United Nations refused to give the site to China (People’s Republic of China).
Shashi Tharoor wrote in his book that it was Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru who gave voice to China becoming a permanent member of the United Nations.
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Did Nehru support China?
Some believe that Nehru did this to please Mao, given the tension between the two countries in the 1950s.
Nehru’s overzealous desire for unity among Asian nations misplaced his support. Because others argue that the history of both countries shows that China and India were partners in this historical journey.
Many see this as a flaw in Nehru’s assessment of the idealism and realism of international relations. They believe that power is important and must be acted upon wisely.
“However, the proponents of this argument fail to understand Nehru’s reasons for supporting the People’s Republic of China at the United Nations. They do not know that Nehru was well read in history and that the balance of power between nations was very important to him,” The Diplomat magazine said in a report.
“One has to go back to the 20th century to understand Nehru’s position. Nehru believed, given the politics of the time, that great powers should not be kept away from their friends. They should be included in international organizations,” the statement added.
Nehru felt that Germany had been treated unfairly after the First World War, and a sense of humiliation and marginalization drew it closer to another disaffected country, the Soviet Union.
Nehru was clear that Mao’s People’s Republic of China was no ordinary power.
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“In April 1922, Germany signed the Rapallo Pact with Russia. This increased tensions in Europe. But Britain helped Germany gain membership in the League of Nations in 1926. However, the Great Depression again threatened global stability. It was clear to Nehru that the People’s Republic of China was no ordinary power.
So it should be incorporated into world politics. Because he felt that if this is not done, it could turn out to be unexpectedly dangerous later on. “This was the biggest argument that led to Nehru’s position on China’s permanent membership in the Security Council,” wrote Nabarun Roy, Assistant Professor, Department of International Affairs, South Asian University, in ‘The Diplomat’.
“Nehru believed that the balance of power not only in the East but in the entire world had changed because of the new China. Therefore, he thought it would be not only foolish but also dangerous to deny the People’s Republic of China a place in world politics. If the People’s Republic of China were excluded from the United Nations, Nehru believed that China would not follow the decisions of the United Nations. ,” he added.
India’s will
It is said in international relations that as a country becomes powerful its ambitions also increase.
India is no different in this regard. In recent times, its military and economic strength has increased. In such a scenario its desire to play a bigger role in world politics has also increased.
India has been demanding a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council for some time now.
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Indian leaders have made serious efforts for this in various fora around the world, including the UN General Assembly. India’s status as a permanent member will be upheld before the international community.
The results of these efforts have not been entirely disappointing. Major powers like the US, Britain, France and Russia have on several occasions expressed their support for India’s demand for permanent membership.
But China is strongly opposed to this. This is not surprising as recent events show the cracks in relations between the two countries.
The two countries have long shared a disputed border. And in 2017, tension arose between the two countries in Doklam. Then a ceasefire-like situation emerged.
India and China are seeking strategically important bases to establish a foothold in the South Asian and Indian Ocean regions.
Jawaharlal Nehru’s first television interview
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