'Banality Has Overtaken This Government'

We are discussing now a very important matter and we should treat this issueas a very important national issue. But how does this Government treat thismatter?

The way they have been behaving, it seems that banality has overtaken thisGovernment and it is indulging only in inanities. The whole country isconcerned. The Prime Minister is not concerned in taking the country and thisHouse into full confidence regarding what had happened and why this failure ofthese talks.

This is a matter of great regret that in spite of the genuine good wishes andthe longing for peace, tranquillity and good neighbourly relations between thepeople of the two countries who are neighbours, the Agra Summit has had anextremely disappointing end.

At least we have achieved one thing that the two countries at the highestlevel have sat across the table. We sincerely hope that the talks willultimately pave the way for a better understanding and a closer relationshipbetween the two countries and the leaders of the two countries.

We feel that there is no alternative to dialogue but it has to be acontinuous affair. We, from this House appeal to the Governments and leaders ofthe two countries to make all serious and sincere attempts to improve thebilateral relations so that a conducive atmosphere is created for the resumptionof talks and ultimately for a solution.

In this sub-continent, between our two countries, our problems are common:the problems of poverty, illiteracy, lack of development, employment andindustrial progress. But instead of striving for peace and friendship, the twocountries have been indulging in bloodshed.

We feel that the people of these two countries have a vested interest inpeace and friendship. We hope the hon. Prime Minister will visit Pakistan tocontinue the process. We have no doubt that unfortunately Pakistan is stillguiding its principles and policies on the two-nation theory, which is notacceptable to secular India.

Pakistan continues to support and encourage cross-border terrorism. Ibelieve, that this country rightly and correctly wanted to discuss all issuesapart from Kashmir during the Summit – the important issues like cross-borderterrorism and what we have been advocating trade and commerce, culturalexchanges between the people; release of prisoners of war, people who are intheir jail, etc.

The whole country and the House is committed that Jammu and Kashmir is anintegral part of India and shall ever remain so. The ordinary people, the commonpeople of Jammu and Kashmir have fought against armed infiltration fromPakistan.

The people of Jammu and Kashmir have rejected religion to be the decidingfactor. We feel that even if initially non-conclusive, we should continue oureffort to have dialogues at different levels, as bilateral dialogue is essentialto sort out the outstanding problems between the two countries.

The Government should note that the entire spectrum of political forces inthis country had held the Summit and there being tremendous amount of goodwillfor the success of the talks. But even then it failed. We must evaluate whetherthe Government was able to rise to the occasion and whether the Government hadthe statesmanship, the capacity and the expertise to deal with the situation.

I cannot but charge this Government of having failed abjectly andcomprehensively to act like a matured nation and it gave the impression thatthis Government can only react to the situation that may develop but can nevercontrol the situation themselves. Why did this country of one billion peoplewith supposedly experienced leadership behave with such naivety and amateurishineptitude?

After a long time we had an occasion of having a summit of this importance.It is a disappointment to all that it had ended in a failure, in a sense. I hadsaid earlier that we did not consider it a total failure. We hope that in futurethe talks will continue.

There is no substitute to dialogue, especially in the light of what we havebeen experiencing over the years. So, I said earlier also that Simla Agreementand the Lahore Declaration have to be the foundation of this talk.

Normally, Summits are held after a good deal of preparations, discussions,and long-drawn homework on both sides about the areas of discussion, subjects ofdiscussion and about the possible outcome.

But strangely, in this case, it appears that the Summit was the startingpoint. If we could not be prepared, then the dates should not have been fixeduntil we were prepared. According to us, an unprepared Summit is much more worsethan a delayed Summit.

My party, for a long time, has been trying to impress upon the Government,the necessity to have bilateral discussion. There is no other forum where we canexchange our views. SAARC is not functioning, and there is no alternative tostart a dialogue or to have a talk. After all, the problem of the two countriesare similar.

There are hunger, poverty, illiteracy, lack of development, unemployment; andwe are wasting our scarce resources in trying to see eyeball to eyeball.Therefore, talk was necessary and it is desirable and it should continue.

After the fiasco of the cease-fire in Jammu and Kashmir, the Governmentsuddenly decided to withdraw the cease-fire and then gave an invitation to him.We support the invitation. But by giving invitation means that the Governmentwould have to be ready, fully prepared. Even then, we supported this Government.

We believed that this Government would behave like a matured country and notbehave in a clumsy and callous manner. There was no dialogue with the Oppositionparties. They were never taken into confidence. So far as the cease-fire inKashmir was concerned, the Government, on its own declared it.

Only five days before the Summit was to start, the Opposition parties werecalled. We knew that there was no point in meeting. All the parties supportedthe decision of the Government to call the Summit, expressed our support for thetalks and gave our constructive suggestions.

We tried to give constructive suggestions in that meeting. We said that apartfrom Kashmir, there are many vital issues between the two countries likeeconomic relations, trade and commerce between the two countries, culturalexchanges between the two countries, etc. We said that since there was scope forhaving wider trade relations and economic relations between the two countries,they should also be looked into and they should also be discussed, apart frompeople to people relations.

As it poses a great threat to the entire sub-continent, we should behave in avery serious and responsible manner. Agra meeting should be seen as theresumption of dialogue and problems cannot be resolved in one extent.

We must continue to pursue the path of dialogue with the Pakistan to resolveall our outstanding issues. These, I believe should be treated as veryconstructive suggestions although we accept that the meeting was a mere ritual,just to tell people that they have consulted the opposition also.

At least Jaswant-ji could have told us as to what was happening. The hon.Prime Minister can not be excused for ignoring the Opposition. In fact they alsodid not know what was happening. They can only react to the situation that maydevelop. The foreign Policy in this country has ceased to be a National ForeignPolicy. Is this the way diplomacy or the foreign affairs to be conducted?

More than the agenda it seems it was more important as to who was joining thelunch or the dinner. Because of the total unpreparedness or total unprofessionalmanner in which the talks have been conducted, this Government has abjectlyfailed. We have heard about four or five rounds of discussions between the PrimeMinister and the Pakistan President. On what did it rock? I do not know.

They came here with a well rehearsed plan of dominating the show. Is thereanything called media management in the matters like this? I do not say that youinfluence or censor media. Can you think of a more amateurish manner in whichGovernment has acted? It was pathetic – the way things were kept back from thecountry.

You may remember that after the performance at the breakfast, the PrimeMinister's earlier statement was circulated among the press. Are we safe in thiscountry to leave our affairs in the hands of this Government?

However, I hope everything is not lost and this is not the end of the road.Mr. Jaswant Singh has said that efforts for peace would continue and we shouldendeavour to build trust and confidence. We share his hope.

A very important things with regard to the demand of autonomy of Jammu andKashmir has been completely jettisoned. Article 370 represents the country'scommitment to the people of J&K and is based upon the Treaty of Accession.They have acceded to India and they have surrendered to the calls of religion,bigotry and fanaticism. They have rejected the two-nation theory. Now, what hasbeen stated recently by the hon. Home Minister?

It only creates a situation which will be exploited by those who are on theother side of the border. We want cross-border or proxy war should be discussed,but unless you have the willing support of the people of Kashmir, there will begreater and greater problems.

Our greatest handicap today is that we have a Government that behaves in anad-hoc manner. We have a situation that even the Prime Minister feels likeresigning. It is because of the motley combination which is behaving indifferent manner. Therefore, it has become all the more necessary that wheneverthe Prime Minister decides to go to Islamabad, he should go not only with thesupport of the people of this country but also with full preparation and withthe objective of arriving at a settlement.

Of course, it should not be at the cost of India's national interest. I amsure that everybody will join me in wishing the Government all success. Afterall, we are a mature nation. We have got very experienced leaders who arein-charge of this.

But I must once again condemn the ineptitude, the inefficiency, thecallousness in which this Government has acted in dealing with the matters ofSummit. They must take the the House into confidence and tell about the resolvein going and taking part in the future discussion with full preparation, so thatthis country's interest and the interest of the people of these two countriescould be safeguarded and peace can be restored to the sub-continent.