TEXT OF THE PRIME MINISTER'S INTERVENTION
DURING THE DEBATE IN LOK SABHA ON
The
Prime Minister, Minister of
Atomic Energy, Minister of Home Affairs, Minister
of Planning and Minister of Information & Broadcasting (Shrimati
Indira Gandhi):
Mr. Speaker, Sir, first of
all, if I may say so, you gave the House some news we have received...
Mr. Speaker: I thought the
office had sent it to me to announce it. I do not know.
Shrimati Indira Gandhi: The point is that this news has come through
Radio
Sir, the strength does not lie in words. If my colleague Sardar
Sahib has not spoken with passion, it
is not due to lack of feeling either
on his part or on the part of the
Government but because of the fact that we are deeply conscious of the
historic importance of this movement
and the seriousness of the situation. Something new had happened in
East Bengal-democratic action where
an entire people had spoken with
almost one voice. We had welcomed this, not because we wanted any
interference in another country's affairs,
but because these were the values, as
one of my hon. friends pointed out,
for which we have always stood and
for which we have always spoken out. And we had hoped that this action would lead to a new situation in our neighbouring country which would help us to get closer, which would help us to serve our own people better and create an entirely
new situation. As our statement has said, this has not happened and 'a wonderful
opportunity for even the strengthening of Pakistan has been lost and has been lost in a manner which is tragic, which is agonising
and about which we cannot find strong
enough words to speak because this again is a new situation.
It is not
merely the suppression of a movement, but it
is meeting an unarmed people with
tanks. We are in close touch, as
close touch with the events as is possible
in such a situation. I am sure hon. Members
will understand that it is not possible for the Government to say very much
more on this occasion here. I would like to assure the hon. Members, who
asked whether decisions would be taken on time, that
obviously is the most important thing
to do. There is no point in taking a decision when the time for it
is over. We are fully alive to the situation and we shall keep constantly in touch with what is happening and what we need to do. But I agree with him also that we must not take
merely theoretical view. At the same time we have to follow, proper international
norms. But there are various other suggestions made here, about
genocide and so on, about which we are fully conscious and which we also discussed with the leaders of the opposition.
I think at this moment I can only say that we
do fully share the agony the emotions of the
House and their deep concern over these developments because we have always believed that freedom is indivisible. We have always raised our
voice for those who have suffered, but, in a serious moment like this, the less we, as a Government
say, I think the better it is at this
moment. I can assure the House that
we shall keep in close touch with the
situation and also we shall keep in close touch with the leaders of the Opposition so that they can continue to give us their suggestions and we can also give them whatever knowledge we have.