Month: April 2022

: Mr. Chairman, Sir, I thank you for giving me an opportunity to speak on the Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful Activities) Amendment Bill, 2022. This Bill is in line with our international obligation under the UN Charter of promoting international peace and development. The existing law covers unlawful activities relating to biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons and their delivery systems, and provides for integrated legal measures to exercise control over the export of materials, equipment, and technologies in relation to weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems, and for prevention of their transfer to non-State actors or terrorists. Sir, India is a responsible nuclear weapon State and is committed, as per its nuclear
doctrine, to maintain credible, minimum deterrence with the posture of no-first use and non-use against non-nuclear weapon States. The parent Act provides overarching and integrated legislation prohibiting unlawful activities in relation to weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems. While reiterating India’s firm commitment to
safeguard its security as a Nuclear Weapon State and its undiminished commitment to global nuclear disarmament, the Act seeks to effectively translate, at the operational level, India’s commitment to prevent proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Sir, the Indian Government must view nuclear weapons as part of a comprehensive
national security strategy that includes diplomacy, arms control initiatives, and conventional forces to maximise stability and peace in the region. Cyber warfare technology is another trans-domain capability that is spreading
rapidly. India’s nuclear weapons-related systems should be ready to respond to cyber threats. As India remains particularly vulnerable to biological threats and has a history of hostile political conflicts, India needs to take a lead in ensuring the Biological Weapons Convention is effective in its aim at curbing use of biological agents or toxins. The primary focus of India at the Biological Weapons Convention should be to instil and participate in a scientific advisory board on the same lines as the one attached to the Chemical Weapons Convention. The board should have scientists representing various participating countries, industry, societies, and academics. Sir, I am just concluding.
Sir, there should be an immediate reform of DRDO whose top laboratory is the Defence Research and Development Establishment located at Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh. Since DRDO’s massive failures of its indigenous weapons programmes do not paint an inspiring picture, I would want the Minister to clarify how the Government plans to
revamp production at DRDO.

Mr. Chairman, Sir, I rise to speak on the Weapons of Mass Destruction and their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of
Unlawful Activities) Amendment Bill, 2022. This Bill has been brought forward in the interest of national securityand national interest. So, we support the Bill. Sir, this Bill is formed out of the recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to prohibit financing of terrorist activities. It empowers the Central Government to freeze, seize or attach funds or other financial assets or economic resources for preventing such financing; prohibit making available funds, financial assets or economic resources for any prohibited activity in relation to weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems. This Bill has been brought forward in a hurry because only on 4th April, the United Nations, meeting at Geneva, expressed deep concern over proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Our Permanent Representative Dr. Pankaj Sharma said that India has been drawing the attention of the world towards these threats and the need to strengthen international cooperation to address them through its annual consensus. He said: “We are deeply concerned about the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems, which endangers international peace and security”. Sir, the whole theory is about a terrorist getting his hands on weapons of mass destruction. What are weapons of mass destruction? They are, nuclear, radiological, biological or chemical weapons. The weapon of mass destruction was last used in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Since then, though the world has seen many small wars, weapons of mass destruction, which kill millions of
people in minutes, have not been used. This is called Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) and, that is why, nobody goes for it. But now, there are eight countries in the world, China, Russia, North Korea, Pakistan, India, France, UK
and USA which have got weapons of mass destruction. This includes India and Pakistan and five of these countries are signatories to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). India has not been a signatory to it. We have always cited our own security concern and, that is why, we have not signed the NPT, though we are for disarmament. Mr. Raja spoke at length about Shri Rajiv Gandhi’s initiative in the matter.Now, the important thing is to ensure the safety of our country in future. We may notice that in the 9/11 terrorist attack America had their twin towers destroyed. Since then, they set up a new department called, Department of Homeland Security and since that time, no major terrorist incident has happened in the United States of America. If you go to USA, not as a Minister but as an ordinary person, you would realise that they have really tightened their homeland security. The main point is to tighten our own homeland security so that this does not happen. Now, having said that … That is not very important. You went to
Bengal and lost all the seats. That is why, that place is always in your mind. Why do you forget your defeat? You were going around in those villages and you lost all the seats … Why are you talking about it? You are now a Minister of the Government of India. You forget about your defeat in Bengal …Yes, Sir. We have gone through this process long ago. We remember Pokhran, 1998. We remember, just to get out of US sanctions, Jaswant Singh-ji and Strobe Talbot talked for hours together, days together to bring the Americans to understand our position with regard to vis-à-vis Nuclear Proliferation. Now, the External Affairs Minister, who as I said, is a diplomat and taciturn, does not waste a single word, does not make a single wrong comment, made a comment today that the world order is changing. He said that he will be on the right side of the world order. I would like to know from the hon. Minister, what
world order is he talking of, and which side will we be. Yesterday, I raised some questions. He was busy and I instigated him. He did not reply. I asked: “Why has India gone into passive diplomacy where our diplomacy consists only of the Prime Minister ringing up Putin and Zelensky, and the External Affairs Minister meeting the British Foreign Secretary or the Russian Foreign Minister? Do we not have anything else?” Tanks of one country are pummelling another country. Leave aside whether Zelensky is pro-American or Putin is right. We do not ask. But look at the courage that the Ukrainians have shown. Everybody thought that Russian tanks would cut through Ukraine like a knife through butter. But the people in Ukraine have resisted which proves that nationalism is still a force in this world �स अटैक करगा े , क्या यह अच्छा है ? Sir, I am saying that we should not take sides. But I say that when a country is being attacked even in today’s day and age, we should sit up and take notice. Jawaharlal Nehru would not have been a silent spectator. India’s Panchsheel does not advise being a silent spectator to aforesaid
genocide. India must be proactive considering her size, her importance. Our diplomacy … आप लोगों मेंसेजो भीबोले
गा, मैंभी जयशंकर जी को बोलनेनहीं दू गा ँ आपबड़ा … बनेहैं।… आप लोग कुछ नहीं करतेहैं।…  यह जगह चेंज करकेइधर बै
ठता है। यह रोज यहाँपर …  करता है। क्या ऐसा ही होता है ? …  I shall not be cowed down by any threat. I am addressing you. Sir, I am slowly in a process of concluding my speech. I started my speech by supporting this Bill. I started by praising Mr. Jaishankar. I said that the Foreign Minister must persuade the Government to take a more pro-active role in the matter of conflict between Ukraine and Russia. What is wrong in that? I am again urging him to take a more proactive role in bringing the world from the brink of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) to having a better nuclear-controlled regime. India is totally silent on this issue. Only some officers go here and there. We have not heard a single statement by the Prime Minister on the problem of nuclear proliferation. We have not had any major statement from the Prime Minister on the matter of one country invading another country. Yes, it is said that
Foreign Policy is ‘enlightened self-interest’. I know that. We have read what Machiavelli said but Foreign Policy is not Machiavelli alone. Foreign Policy is also Panchsheel and Gautam Buddha’s teaching. We are a 5000-yearold country. We must have a proper Foreign Policy. That is why, Sir, again, I am assuring the Minister our full support in any further efforts he may take towards the activities of rogue states, rogue individuals, and criminals who tend to use weapons of mass destruction. But, let me tell you, Sir, that on the internet they are showing a method in which a college boy can assemble together a small nuclear device. The point is not that but the point is to have vigilance. Abraham Lincoln said that eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. Are you vigilant enough? Do we keep track of who is doing what in the country? That is the important thing. We must defend ourselves. Lastly, Sir, I will stop by quoting two lines by John Donne, the famous poet, quoted in Ernest Hemingway’s ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’. He said:
Any man’s death diminishes me,
because I am involved in mankind;
and, therefore, never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
it tolls for thee.
When somebody else is attacked, I feel the bell is tolling for me. We also have to defend our heights in Galwan or in Pangong Lake. We have to defend our areas in Arunachal. We have to find out friends who defend us in this difficult situation and that should be the crux of our Foreign Policy. With that, Sir, I support the Bill and thank you for allowing me to speak

Sir, thank you for thanking us. Under Rule 377, I point out to the astronomical … Sir, one or two lines may be here or there. Sir, you look at Rule 377 in the book. I am going by the book Please allow me. This is a very important
matter. Petrol and diesel rates in the country have sharply increased after the latest round of fuel price hike by oil marketing companies (OMCS). Experts have said that the continuous increase in fuel prices will have a widespread impact on citizens and the overall economy. The petrol and diesel prices across the country continued their
northward march and its retail rates to unprecedented levels while burning bigger holes in the consumers’ pockets. The common people are cutting on their other expenses to manage their spending on fuel prices. Every citizen of the country is in anguish and deep distress regarding the spiralling fuel and gas prices. India is witnessing systematic erosion of jobs, wages and household income. The middle class and those at the margins of our society are struggling. These challenges have been compounded by runaway inflation and an unprecedented rise in price of almost all household items and essential commodities. I urge upon the Government to intervene in the matter and take immediate steps to check the steep hike in the prices of petroleum products daily

Sir, West Bengal is a major potato-growing State of India and farmers mainly grow Jyoti, Chandramukhi and
hybrid varieties like Super S1, Super 6 and Pokhraj. Around four lakh Lakh acres of land is under potato cultivation in Bengal and an estimated 10 lakh farmers are engaged in potato farming. Potato production in West Bengal is higher by nearly 16 per cent at 110 lakh tonne out of which 71 lakh tonne of potatoes were kept in cold. storage this year. In Potato farming, cool temperature is of utmost importance for good produce. My constituency of Armabagh has substantial number of potato farmers who store their produce in cold storages for which they have to fork out additional fees, often to private entities. West Bengal has vast growth potential in the horticulture sector and
being one of the leading producers of potato, there is arequirement to shift from cold storages to integrated cold chains to realise its full potential. Modernisation-cumretrofitting of the existing traditional cold storages into multi-purpose cold storages will be the right step. In view of the expected highproduction of potato in West Bengal
in the current year, I request the Government to sanction an integrated cold storage for potatoes in my constituency of Arambagh.

Hon. Minister, Sir, I raised one issue, and it is involving the Prime Minister of the country. I was carrying a letter of a Chief Minister of a State. She placed some proposals for 350 odd students from West Bengal, the State to which I belong. What would be their future? So, she placed some proposals saying, ‘I will absorb these students in my own State.’ As an outcome, … I am repeatedly mentioning these words. And, it was a long discussion, not a one-minute or two-minute discussion. But what would be fate of these students, I want to know. You are saying they would be sent to the adjacent countries like Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania. So, these are the places. We want more specific replies on what would be the fate of these students. You are saying that Ukraine agreed. But what is the existence of the Ukraine Government now? Are they under the control of the Soviet Russia/Russian Federation or are they standing on their own feet? That is still uncertain. It is not clear from your observations made in your speech.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, the hon. Minister has mentioned Bharat Biotech company as an example of a successful start-up. The people from Andhra Pradesh are saying that they are all proud of Bharat Biotech. The founders of Bharat Biotech, Shri Krishna Ella and Shrimati Ella have also been awarded Padma Bhushan by the Government of India. Bharat Biotech was producing Covaxin. But I saw in newspapers that the manufacture of Covaxin has been stopped,
because the WHO has said that the manufacturing quality is not up to the mark. They should stop producing the vaccine, and they should do up their manufacturing facility.