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SHRI CHANDRA SHEKHAR (Ballia) : He speaks for the country also, sometimes. (Interruptions)

SHRI CHANDRA SHEKHAR : Mr. Speaker, Sir, I rise to make a submission to you with any heavy heart, I would like to submit that I do not have any hope from this Government. I stopped pinning hope on this Government the day it started making new economic policies. Facts were concealed then and are also being concealed. Now a new precedence is being set in this House, as Shri Vajpayee just now stated that this style of raising issues is undoubtedly of none other than Shri George Fernandes. I would like to know from you why do the Government, the hon. Minister of External Affairs and the Hon. Prime Minister maintain silence over an issue of national importance on being raised in this august House by a Member also widely covered by the newspapers all over the world and even debated in the Russian Parliament. I am a Member of Parliament not for long. But my many experienced friends are sitting on that side. They are of the opinion that this issue should not have been raised during the Zero hour. I would like to know from them the more opportune time when this Government is wide awake and not asleep? It is difficult to put on move a lax Government. You yourself have stated that you speak for Parliament and not for the Government.. (Interruptions). It is not the question of registering protest. I would like to know from you how could the discussion on such an important national issues be held in the Parliament ? We can understand the reason of maintaining silence if the pressure is being exerted on Russia or on some other country. But we fall to understand this silence when the whole issue is related with us. But, the Government should have definitely apprised the House of the facts, when the spokesman has already stated that the Foreign Secretary was asked to suspend these schemes, a thing widely reported by the newspapers of the world one.

SHRI CHANDRA SHEKHAR : This is not a dumb Government, but a Government laying in coma, because even a dumb can communicate through gestures. I do not know how long will the Government continue to remain in coma. I am not critical of the Government, but would like to draw the attention of the hon. Members of that side to the fact that when our spokesman announces the approval of the U.S. to conduct joint naval exercises with India, then newspapers try to colour it as a big achievement. This is also true in the fields of fiancee, foreign policy and defence and security. Just now an hon. Member remarked that it was also conducted in 1963 and 1965. Mr. Speaker, Sir, during those days the situation was much different from what it is today. Then U.S.A. was out to woo India to demonstrate to the whole world its friendliness with us but now it openly threatens us. I have submitted in this House earlier that it is just for the first time in the history of India that a lady representative of the foreign Government openly threatened the Indian Government right here in Delhi with-out even drawing any comments from the Ministers. The Hon. Prime Minister appears to be very valiant and strong in his statements in the newspapers. However, merely giving strong statements to the Press won’t suffice. The Government will have to show the concrete results of the work done by the Ambassadors and the diplomatic missions. Have they every lodged any protest? We have been just told that the Government is collecting the information. Mr. Speaker, Sir, you have also been a Minister for a long time and must be knowing that now-a-days it takes hardly 5 minutes to collect the information by the Government. All the missions abroad, whether it be the mission in Moscow or Washington, are keeping the Government abreast of the latest developments there, but even then the Government is maintaining stoic silence. However, the newspapers are reporting everything. I do not know what impression will the statement made by Shri George Fernades and by the world over these statements are sure to create an impression that the Indian Parliament has become just a theatre. Mr. Speaker, Sir, occasional humour is to be appreciate but Sir, let this House not turned into a platform for the comedians. Sir, you should try to be the voice of the House compelling the Government to make its stand clear on such an important issue.