Parliament''s Role in Implementing India''s
Foreign PolicyParliament represents the people of India. Therefore,
Parliament reserves the complete authority of constructing
Policy making including foreign policy upon the
government. Parliament possesses exceptional
decision making power and legislating matters as enumerated in the Union list with regard to various foreign policy related items. These may incorporate diplomatic, consular and trade representation, war and peace, the United Nations, citizenship, naturalization and so on.The parliament holds the power to ratify treaties. However, it is the Central Government which is responsible to specify the fundamental essentials of contracts and gets final sanction of the Parliament. To site an instance, Indira Gandhi, then
Prime Minister, while formalizing the Indo-Soviet Peace and Friendship Treaty conveyed the Parliament about the deadline of just one hour prior to its ratification on Aug 9, 1971. Politically, it rests with the premiere of the state boosted by the majority support. Generally, nobody showed the courage to challenge her decision during her tenure.In ''Domestic Roots of India''s Foreign Policy'' A. Appadorai in Nehru''s reign elaborates parliament''s proficiency to perform its power over India''s China policy. Nehru, under the duress of the Parliament and the President, was obliged to expel Krishna Menon out of his Defence ministry. Another case that manifested Parliament''s hold is the point of government receiving high-powered transmitter from Voice of America (VOA) on behalf of All-India Radio in March 1963 to encounter the Chinese propaganda posterior to the October 1962 border war. The pact contained a statement that underlined to make use of time allotted in common. The communist parliamentarians strongly opposed the clause because they were worried more about maintaining the stance of their anti-Americanism rather than defending India''s national interest. Eventually, the government annulled the entire project. What we derive from the above example is that Parliament was strengthened to initiate only after a policy of decision making is complete. Moreover, it was possible to get unbound of Menon singularly due to the defeat of India in the 1962 Sino-Indian War. It is not easy to establish such actions in normal times.The coalition government, the kind of government we are acquainted with since 1996, the prime minister shows his wisdom to secure the confidence of the peoples'' representatives. The NDA government exhibited its eagerness to follow a path described in Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee''s terms ''middle path'' that chose to decline from taking any unyielding adherence to a policy keeping in mind not to attack the US to devour the weapons of mass destruction in the Gulf War II by the US dominated alliance against Iraq. Nevertheless, the Parliament stressed on a conviction deploring American military intervention in Iraq. Finally, it turned to take the help of Hindi language to express the apprehension by coining the term ''ninda'' as an alternative for a more vehement English terminology ''condemn''.However, this is not the first case, when the coalition government is placed in a predicament of policy construction. During the Gulf War II Chandra Shekhar was the then Prime Minister in 1991. Designated as PM, he had allowed the US Air Force (USAF) planes to refuel in Mumbai airport. Nevertheless, with the news coming to light, members of Parliament did not support it. Because the elections were on the board, the Congress party supporting the government externally was alarmed about the consequences of the action on the performances of the Muslim voters. The project of encouraging refueling by the USAF planes was withheld after detailed conversation in the Parliament.In the sec
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