India is hopeful of gaining entry into the UN Security Council (UNSC) as a permanent member and will get the same rights including veto power as enjoyed by five permanent members (P-5) US, Russia, China, France and UK, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. She also said these four countries have extended support to India’s candidature for UNSC while China has not publicly opposed India.
Other issues including social media ridiculing MPs, plight of chilli growers in Telangana and two stunt bikers entering the President Pranab Mukherjee’s convoy during his recent visit to Ranchi also figured in the House.
Expressing confidence in getting into the UNSC, Swaraj said India has all the credentials to become a permanent member of the Security Council and four permanent members, US, UK, France and Russia have supported India. The fifth member, China, has also “not publicly opposed it,” she said.
Answering a question whether India will also get the ‘veto’ power, Swaraj said the country wants the same responsibilities, prerogatives as well as obligations as the current permanent members. Elaborating on India’s position, she said “we don’t want any discrimination between old and new members. We don’t want two classes - that there is a first class and a second class of permanent members. This should make it clear that India wants the same responsibilities, prerogatives and obligations as the current permanent members.”
She also informed the House India is making diplomatic efforts to ensure not only expansion but also reform in the Security Council. She said India wanted expansion of its permanent as well as non-permanent membership of the council.
In her written reply tabled in the House, Swaraj said on the issue of extending veto powers to new permanent members in their submission during the inter-governmental negotiation process of the 69th General Assembly, USA and UK opposed extension of veto to new members. France supported the extension while Russia and China did not make any submission on the issue, she said.
Raising the issue of MPs, Naresh Agrawal(SP) said social media was tarnishing the image of parliamentarians regarding their salaries and perks. He said the impression was going around that the MPs were looting the treasury and called for a mechanism to curb social media. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said there was no control over anti-social activities of the social media and agreed for a discussion. Deputy Chairman P J Kurien quipped that Agrawal should enter social media to counter such campaigns.
JD(U) member Harivansh expressed concern over breach of security cordon of President Pranab Mukherjee during his recent visit to Jharkhand. He said two stunt bikers managed to sneak into the heavily guarded President’s convoy and the police was yet to trace the bikers even after four days had passed.
Congress MP Renuka Chowdhury highlighted the plight of chilli-growing farmers in Telangana saying they were not getting right prices for their produce after a bumper crop. Another Congress MP Rajani Patil demanded farm loan waiver of Rs 30,000 crore for Maharashtra farmers as was done in UP.
Her party colleague Anand Sharma charged the government of “tampering” with the legacy and history
of the freedom movement by introducing “other leaders” who had no role in it. Naqvi retorted that the government was now honouring real heroes and said it was not only the Nehru and Gandhi families who had fought for India’s freedom.