Defence strategies are not born out of any wishful speech on that side or any brave speech on my’ side. Defence strategies or defence concepts of a country grow out of economic capabilities, technical development and development of science and the morale of the nation. So, the first thing is economic capabilities which we shall have to see. Then we shall have to see technological development, then we have to see scientific development, and finally we have to see morale also. As far as morale is concerned, I think that India certainly stands, as compared to other countries, as good as any other counrty. My, own explanation why China is going hack to this and I have always explained it the other way. For instance, Shri Frank Anthony has given one explanation. I can give him another explanation. If we look at the history of India for the last one thousand years, if I may say so, is a history one cannot say that in all respects–of aggressions over India, and whenever there was aggression against India, India was found to be divided. Possibly China misread Indian history and they thought that history was going to repeat itself when there was an ‘aggression. But they forgot that the India of 1962 was not the old India, but it was a new Republic India, the people’s India. When the Chinese Army started knocking at the door of India, the Indian people stood one with a resolute determination to resist the aggression, and I think that it is this determination on the part of the people of India that made China go back. That is my explanation. I know that there are other military explanations also for that. I do not want to go into them. An important complex cannot be oversimplified by one explanation, but I would certainly like to give this explanation. If it is acceptable to my hon. friend, Shri Frank Anthony, he may, possibly accept it.
Here, I would like to answer a small point made by my hon. friend, Shri Raghumath Singh. He devoted the whole of his speech to just one point that no mention had been made about the Navy. Of course, I do not want to underestimate the importance of the Navy or the Navy’s preparation in the context of our defence preparations. In the long range, we shall have to take a realistic view and do whatever we can do, looking to our own economic capabilities; that is a different matter. But this statement on defence preparedness was in view of the report of the NEFA inquiry, and naturally, my hon. friend would not expect me to take the Navy on the Himalayas.
I would like now to refer to some of the specific points made by some of the hon. Members.
Shri Prakash Vir Shastri made a point about the surrendering of large amounts of the order of Rs. 132 crores. That was the information that was given. Certainly, I accept the figure of Rs. 132 crores. But I must say that I endorse the speech of my hon. friend, Shri. Hanumanthaiya who has made a very good point, that those who have experience of these budgets, can certainly say that the amount was surrendered, but the whole arithmetical calculation and the summing up or the totalling up of it does not give correct picture. The amount which is surrendered this year naturally is provided for in the next year for the completion of a certain work. So, if you just total up the whole amount for ten years, the whole thing looks rather absurd.
That will be rather an illogical way of looking at the question. Certainly, some percentage may he surrendered. I am taking this opportunity to explain this point. This year the House was kind enough to give me a bumper sanction of very huge amounts. I cannot give a guarantee that I would not surrender any amounts. For, it depends on many factors.