As Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh had pointed out that India’s struggle for a permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council would be “long drawn out”. But Modi has cryptically said that the days of “begging” for the seat are gone
One of the major highlights of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent three-nation visit to France, Germany and Canada was his strong pitch to secure a permanent seat for India in the United Nations Security Council. After paying tribute at Neuve-Chapelle war memorial in lille to about 10,000 Indian soldiers who got martyred while fighting alongside France in World War I, Mr Modi told a gathering of about 3,000 non-resident Indians that we “gave 14 lakh jawans to fight in a war that was not ours, and lost 75,000 men”.
He added, “Still, India continues to yearn for a (permanent) seat in the UN Security Council. I urge the world, it is time to respect the peacekeeping efforts,” he said, adding “there is hardly any other country which has such moral authority as the land of Mahatma Gandhi and Gautam Buddha. I hope that when the UN celebrates its 70th anniversary (this year), it will especially think about this.”
Reminding the international community about the lakhs of Indians who had put their lives at risk by participating in the World War I, he asked, “Who were they fighting forIJ Not for India or expansion of India... Thousands of years of India’s history is testimony to the fact that it has never indulged in aggression… Indian soldiers fought shoulder-to-shoulder with France... They fought for somebody else… India is known for its sacrifices... One can fight for oneself, but to die for others is different.”
In fact, it was not only in France. Indian troops were deployed in other theatres of war in Europe including the western frontier in Belgium. Recognising the valiant contribution of Indian soldiers, who fought against forces that invaded Belgium almost a century ago, the Belgian authorities erected the Menin Gate at Ypres way back in 1921. The names of hundreds of Indian soldiers who lost their lives in Flanders’ Fields are inscribed on its wall. An additional memorial dedicated to Indian soldiers was also built near it.
Notwithstanding the political unrest in the country against the British colonialists, Indians, including the Indian National Congress, extended their total cooperation to Britain during the World War in the fond hope that they would be subsequently rewarded with at least self-Government, if not full independence — expectations that were later belied.
Offers of financial and military help were made from all over the country with the wealthy princes offering great sums of money. As pre-war fears of unrest subsided, Britain could take many troops and most of her military equipment out of India. In fact, Indian troops were ready for battle before most other troops in the dominions.
Indian troops were on the western front by the winter of 1914 and fought at the first Battle of Ypres. By the end of 1915, they had sustained many casualties. India contributed 15 million men, of which 74,187 lost their lives, and 67,000 were wounded. Every sixth man on the battlefield was an Indian.
They fought in most theatres of war including Gallipoli and North and East Africa. India spent 250 million pounds and provided significant supplies and animals towards this war effort. Indian bravehearts won 11 Victoria Crosses and 9,800 other gallantry awards. At the first battle of Ypres, Khudadad Khan became the first Indian to win the Victoria Cross. Such was the cost of the war, that India’s economy was pushed to near bankruptcy.
The Indian support given to Britain’s cause surprised even the establishment in Britain. The Times wrote, “The Indian empire has overwhelmed the British nation by the completeness and unanimity of its enthusiastic aid.”
Therefore, Mr Modi’s strong advocacy has found resonance and support back home with intellectuals, including Members of Parliament, citing the fact that India has been the largest troop contributor to UN peacekeeping missions since the inception of the world body. In an appeal to MPs, diplomats, world leaders and the the country’s intelligentsia, entrepreneur-turned-Independent Rajya Sabha Member Rajeev Chandrasekhar said, “On behalf of the countless men and families from India, who have sacrificed and continue to sacrifice for the cause of the United Nations and a conflict-less world, I ask you to pause and consider this — Does this history of service not emphatically qualify India to be a permanent member of the Security Council of the United NationsIJ”
The two-time MP from Bangalore, the son of a soldier himself, has relentlessly pursued the demand for a National War Memorial at Delhi ever since he set foot in Parliament in 2006. In 2009, Mr Chandrasekhar convinced the Karnataka State Government to build the National Military Memorial in Bangalore, India’s very first war memorial post-independence. As the chairman of the National Military Memorial Committee, he has ensured that, when inaugurated, the memorial in Bangalore will be the country’s first monument to honour soldiers who laid down their lives in major conflicts that took place post-independence.
To date, India has taken part in 43 peacekeeping missions with a total contribution exceeding 1,60,000 troops besides a large number of police personnel. In 2014 alone, India contributed 7,860 personnel with 10 UN peacekeeping missions, of which 995 are police personnel, including the first female police unit formed under the UN. Indian peacekeepers were recently hailed by the world body for their efforts in preventing a carnage in the South Sudan conflict, in which two Indian soldiers were martyred.
Commending India’s contribution to safeguarding Belgium’s territorial integrity about a 100 years ago, Belgian Ambassador to India Jan luykx, in his response to Mr Chandrasekhar’s appeal, said Belgium was in favour of India’s permanent UNSC membership.
In fact, during their November 2013 visit to India, Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Didier Reynders and Crown Princess Astrid placed a wreath at the Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate to “commemorate the immense sacrifice of the Indian troops who bravely helped Belgium in its fight against the invader in 1914 and 1915”.
Subsequently in October 2014, Minister of State VK Singh visited Ypres and Nieuwpoort in Belgium to participate in the official commemoration by King Philippe of Belgium to honour the memories of all soldiers who fell on the Belgian soil during the First World War.
The Delegation of the European Union to India too is organising events with institutions such as United Services Institution to commemorate World War I centenary, with a view to underlining in particular, India’s role in the war and the emergence of EU after the two wars as a peace project. The Delegation and the USI are also exploring the possibility of publishing a graphic novel whose central theme would be the role of Indian soldiers in the war.
India has been pitching for a permanent seat in the expanded membership of the UNSC, arguing that the existing body does not truly reflect the contemporary world realities. India along with Brazil, Germany and Japan have formed the G4 grouping to press for speedy UNSC reforms and their inclusion in the powerful organ of the world body.
Then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had pointed out that India’s struggle for a permanent membership of the UNSC would be “long drawn out”. But Mr Modi has cryptically said the days of ‘begging” for it are gone.
(The writer is a senior journalist based in New Delhi)