Nehru Defends Air Exercises Agreement

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30215, 21 August 1963, Page 15

Nehru Defends Air Exercises Agreement

(N.Z.P. A.-Reuter—Copyright) NEW DELHI, August 20. The Indian Prime Minister (Mr Nehru) yesterday defended India’s agreement on joint air exercises with Britain and America. In a statement to Parliament, immediately before a threeday debate began on a no-confidence motion, Mr Nehru said the exercises were necessary to train Indians in the use of complex radar equipment.

The agreement is one of several issues that precipitated the no-confidence motion, the first debated in the Indian Parliament. The presence of foreign aircraft in India for a few weeks "does not make the si ghtest difference in our basic position that responsib.l.ty for the air defence of India is solely that of the Indian Air Force.” said Mr Nehru There were "good prospects” of India getting equipment to strengthen air defences from Russia and Czechoslovakia, be said Yesterday. Mr Nehru, who is 73. heard his domestic.

foreign and economic policies attacked Then a former close colleague, Mr J B Kripalani the Opposition spokesman denounced Mr N ehru’s Government as having forfeited its right to stay in office Mr Nehru will reply on Wednesday or Thursday after an estimated 15 hours of debate His ruling Congress Party with 372 of Parliament's 507 seats, has no chance of being ousted. But the Opposition is taking full advantage of the debate bitterly to attack the Nehru Administration Parliament’s non - Com munist Opposition parties combined with 72 votes to table the censure motion Mr Kripalani said: “The

people feel depressed and frustrated. They believe the country has slid back during the last 15 years." He was joined in the attack by Mr M. Masani, of the Swatantra Party, who said the public had reached the limit of their patience with “maladministration and corruption.’’ He and Mr Kripalani both said India's five-year plans had failed to bring prosperity. Mr Kripalani demanded that diplomatic relations with China be broken off, and said Mr Nehru had failed to secure ’ndian territorial integrity against the Chinese. He demanded that there be no negotiations with China. He called for a judicial commission to inquire into eases of alleged corruption. Mr Syrendra Dwiveda, of the Praja Socialist Party, said the Government was covering up corruption in high places. Communist members attacked the Government's China policy but refused to vote for the censure motion. The Government had lost its capacity to meet the emergency caused by China's aggression. a Communist member. Mr Mirendra Nath Mukerjee. said Its ineptitude tad destroyed the unanimous backing it had had at the time of the Chinese attack last year. The Communists wanted Mr Nehru to continue as Prime Minister but to purge those Ministers they consider to be reactionaries He named the Finance Minister (Mr Moraji Desai), and the Food and Agriculture Minister (Mr S K Patil)

Mr Kfipalani, a former president of the Mr Nehru's Congress Party and is now an independent, called for the Government's resignation, foi new elections and, if neces sary. a coalition government India's policy of nonalignment was not sqcnwpn; and should be changed, he said