While continuing to take part in the movement, the Government is doing it with certain reservations. They are constantly reminding the world and themselves that they are genuinely non-aligned. They have put the word 'genuine' before `non-alignment' and go on repeating it constantly as some sort of mechanism to cover their tilt to the West. When the Government repeats this phrase so often and so many times, one is inclined to suspect their motives.
After all, non-alignment doesn't mean neutrality. It does not mean that there is Soviet Union on one side and America on the other and one has a friend here and a friend there. This is not non-alignment. Non-alignment is a positive concept. It has the content of anti-imperialism and anti-colonialism and every step, every position the government takes will have to be judged by ascertaining whether it meets the test of anti-imperialism and anti-colonialism. India can make further contributions to the nonaligned movement, because there is something like an economic content in its foreign policy. The dialogue in the last decade between the developed and developing countries was continuously being frustrated by the attitude of the developed countries. Whenever the question of the transfer of resources or of giving concession in debt payment or reforming the monetary system suited to developing countries was raised, the developed countries had taken an adverse position. Therefore, the Colombo Conference of the non-aligned nations had to come to the conclusion that the non-aligned nations must work out a programme of self-reliance.
We speak of self-reliance on a national basis. When we talk of the non-aligned movement, we talk about the collective self-reliance of the countries. India is in a position to take a lead. It has a strong industrial and technological base. If the present Government forgets the principle of self-reliance and dismantles (of which I am afraid, there are- possibilities) the scientific progress India has made, I would warn the Government that they would destroy this valuable base. If there is any such move, would he disastrous for India. We will not allow the Government to do that.
