Put democracy on the rails again

Q. The news media owned by big
business in Western countries especial-
ly in the USA, United Kingdom and
West Germany, are continuing a viru-
lent anti-India campaign, including
your personal vilification, while the
news media in the socialist and some
Third World countries are fully sup-
porting the action taken by you against

the rightist and fascist forces as well |

as the 20-point program announced by
you on July 1. Apart from reflecting
their contrasting basic attitudes to-
wards India, what do you think, Madam
Prime Minister, are their implications
in terms of both national and inter-
national positions of our country?_

A: In foreign policy matters, the big
newspapers in most countries are very

close to the policy objectives of their |

foreign offices. There may be excep-
tions. But to me the only exception
seems to be our own country! But
by and large, the newspapers do take
the lead from their governments. We
must realize that much of their critic-
ism is not new. It had been there
during the Independence struggle in
Mahatma Gandhi’s_ lifetime and
against my father in his lifetime. I
don’t think that we should bother too
much about what they say.

Perhaps one good result is that peo-
ple who, in the past, especially when

Wwe were not free, were fond of giving

us lectures on honesty and fair, play,
are themselves exposed. Perhaps you
know that in some countries, some
newspapers have refused to publish a

correction even when something so_

blatant was given great publicity in the
West as that Justice Sinha was killed.
This was immediately refuted by our
High Commissioner. But a very reput-
able paper did not print his letter.
When they were asked, they said,
“well, it is too long.”

Q: It appears that not only the reac-
tionary circles in the West but some
other elements, too, as in the United
Kingdom, who have been regarded as
“friends” of India, are now saying that
parliamentary democracy which Pandit
Jawaharlal Nehru played a great role
in developing has become defunct in our
country. They have chosen to ignore
your repeated assurances that the
emergency has been proclaimed in or-
der to put “democracy on ‘the rails
again.” What is your answer to such

>

propaganda and will you please elab-_

orate what exactly you have in mind
when you say that democracy will be
put on the rails again?

A: When I say that democracy should
be put on the rails again, I mean that
the rules of democracy must be ob-
served not only by the ruling party,
but also by the opposition. We should
remember that the challenge to democ-
racy and the Constitution has come
from the opposition. This is because
in spite of all their efforts they were
not able to get the support of the vast
majority of our people. The present

_ Opposition to government during - all

these months did not come from the
long-suffering poor and weaker sec-
tions, but from the traditional oppo-

nents of secularism, socialism and non- |

alignment. It is obvious that the coun-
try must be made safe against the
machinations of such groups. .
However, I don’t think that they can
be countered by giving up democracy,
but by strengthening it and increasing
the people’s understanding and involve-
ment. Our system was adopted after
careful thought because it was the one

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—JANUARY 9, 1976—Page 6

AN INTERVIEW WITH

INDIA’S INDIRA GANDHI »

The following interview with Prime
Minister Indira Gandhi of India was
conducted by Sadhan Mukherjee, editor

of the Central News Service, the news
. agency of the Communist Party of India,
on October 22. It appears here abridged.

which we considered the best calcu-—

lated to maintain unity and integrity
amongst diversity. It is.true that legal
checks and political balances have
often slowed down our progress espe-
cially in the field of social justice.

Q: In some sections of the Western
press, it is being vehemently said that-
you are suppressing the opposition.
Many in the West would like to hear
you personally on the subject.

A: I would first like to counter by

- asking: How many countries are there

even amongst the so-called democratic
ones where nobody is suppressed? In
the United Kingdom, for instance, a
Communist cannot be a member of the
civil service and every country has va-
rious rules. We all know of the Mc-
Carthy period in the United States. The
same is the case with European coun-
tries. But in India no recognized poli-
tical party has been banned. In two of
Our major states the opposition parties
are running the government. Except for
a few opposition leaders, the top men
and virtually the entire rank-and-file of
these parties are free to go about their
work, Only those directly connected
with the organization of the movement
to paralyze the government have been
arrested. Most of the arrested are from

-banned organizations. And, as you

know, these are not political. They have
all kinds of garbs, some pretending to
be cultural, some pretending to be
religious. ’

FOR ASIAN SECURITY —

Q: How do you assess the results of
the Helsinki summit, not only from the
point of view of world peace and in-

ternational cooperation, but also from
that of peace and security in Asia?

A: We welcome the Helsinki sum-
mit and the declaration that issued
from there. Europe has been the scene
of intense rivalries for more than two
centuries and major wars .have taken
place. Europe is now moving towards

a period of detente and peaceful co-

existence. But this essay in understand-
ing entails many long years of care-
fully’ prepared work. There seems to
be no such attempt in Asia except for
our own initiatives. The activities of

- many outside forces also make it diffi-

cult for a closer understanding to be
‘reached amongst Asian countries.
Peace and cooperation are always im-
portant, but for India — or for that
matter any developing country — they
are doubly valuable because they will
enable us to concentrate on overcom-
ing our economic difficulties and prob-
lems. The best security for Asian
countries is to build up their own eco-
nomic strength and stability and that
is why we lay such stress on greater

bilateral exchange which we hope

would grow into multinational econo-
mic arrangements.

| STRUGGLE WILL GO ON |

Q: Exverience has shown that the

‘forces of extreme right and fascism

cannot be rendered harmless merely by
winning elections and even by secur-
ing “massive majorities” against them
in Parliament and state legislatures,
Understandably, there is a demand for
breaking their social and economic
base. What action does your govern-
ment propose to take under the emer-
gency in particular to achieve this end
so that the threat may not recur
again? Pie
A: It was our big majority which

- minister to keep this under him and

’ public sector whereas as government’s:

‘viced that it must continue to occupy

_ that its production and performance

provoked the communal, feudal and th
leftist-extremist forces to resort to ull
democratic .and _ extra-constitution@
actions. We have to show them wf
in their true colors to the people. /

and progress: should wage a relentless
battle against the communalists ant

Q: The national emergency has beef
explained to mean basic discipline ani
tireless effort for national development
and the fight against right reaction

and directed against precisely thos
who are supporting it and striving fe
the implementation of your 20-point
program. Even the members of the CP

have not been spared in some states

against the misuse of the emergency
what practical steps have been taket
to prevent such things?

here. We have to depend firstly on the
chief ministers and then on variou
levels of bureaucracy and others whd
are the actual implementers of any
‘policy. Many matters have to be
left to the judgment of the person
on the spot..I agree with you tha
wrong action has been taken here and
there, but the number of CPI members
who may have been arrested is very
negligible. In fact, it is smaller than
the members of our own-party against)

PR eg ik ay tn ty aig sat Zed sag Nee ey

general instructions have been given
not leave it to another minister and
to go into the names of those arrested
— of any party or no party — and
see that there has not been any wrong
arrest and if there is, the person should
be released; there should be no harass-
ment. Those who are helping of
course, should ‘be -released but
even those who are not helping, if’
they are otherwise harmless, then they
should also be released. :

ROLE OF PUBLIC SECTOR |

pl ear ahh a 1a a ane pt ca te perce ay

Q: In the big business circles, there
are many attempts to play down the

established policy over the years has
been that the public sector must oc-
cupy the commanding heights in our
economy. Does that policy stand? ==

A: There is no question whatsoever
of playing down the importance of
the public sector or of allowing it to
be diluted or pushed around. I think
that certainly in their pronouncements,
the business circles now are not so
derisive or critical of the public sector
as they used to be, because our public”
sector now is gaining ground and is”
improving in production, in cutting
down its losses and so on. We are con-

the commanding heights of our eco-
nomy. But I must continue to stress

have to be further improved by the
adoption of more efficient methods of —
management and also by drawing upon ~
the enthusiasm of workers to a much
larger extent. ;