Highlighting the importance of “parliamentary diplomacy”, BJP MP P P Chaudhary, who led the first delegation of Indian MPs to the UN General Assembly in 13 years earlier this month, said the participation of members of legislatures of different countries could speed up pending UN reforms.
Chaudhary told The Indian Express the 15-member Indian delegation to the 80th session of the UNGA was the first such non-official delegation since the one led by former Deputy PM L K Advani in 2012. The delegation attended meetings with UN officials and permanent representatives of other countries and participated in debates of UN committees from October 8-14.
Asked why the non-official delegations to the UN had been revived now, he said he could not speak for the government. “My opinion is this is the right time for it, so the government sent a delegation. It sends a message to the world that India has a strong and mature democracy. Members of all large parties were included in the 15-member delegation. It is the PM’s vision that we should have parliamentary diplomacy, apart from executive diplomacy. All parties were one, thinking in the interest of the nation.”
He added that, in his view, the statement of MPs carries weight globally. “It is good for the nation and good for democracy if we develop parliamentary diplomacy, strengthening the work of the career diplomats. The biggest challenges facing the UN right now are regarding its funding and the reform of the Security Council. The reforms can be faster if parliamentarians are a part of the process. In most countries, it is the legislatures that sanction the country’s budget for the UN, so it is natural that they will raise questions on the reforms.”
He said the delegation raised the issue of the need for changing the composition of the UN Security Council. “The situation post World War-II was different. If we want the relevance and credibility of the UN to increase, we need to reform the Security Council with respect to its constitution. There should be at least 11 members.”
He added there was a need for a united approach, saying it wasn’t just about India’s place. “In my view, the first step is reform. Thereafter, some criteria can be evolved for deciding on the membership of Security Council and India would automatically fall into it. It should be a joint endeavour.”
In his address to the Third Committee of the UN, which deals with social, humanitarian and cultural aspects, on October 8, Chaudhary had responded to Pakistan’s statement on J&K.
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“It is deplorable that my delegation has to respond to the falsehood and propaganda peddled by Pakistan. We reject the baseless and distorted remarks on UT of J&K, an integral and inalienable part of India. Pakistan continues to display its utter lack of respect for this august forum by misusing the principle of self-determination to further its narrow political ends,” he had said.
He also addressed the Hindi Diwas event organised by Permanent Mission of India to the UN on October 9, noting that the UN had started translating its important announcements into Hindi.
A second such delegation of 13 MPs, led by BJP MP D Purandeswari, is visiting the UN this week.
