§ 14. Mr. Adleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the present state of relations between Her Majesty's Government and the Government of India.
§ The Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr. Evan Luard)We maintain normal and good relations with the Government of 1322 India and are in close contact with them over a wide range of issues.
§ Mr. AdleyIn view of the enthusiasm with which the Lord President of the Council and the Archbishop of Canterbury have recently returned from India, will the Minister say whether it is true that elections there have again been postponed, that Opposition Members of Parliament have been imprisoned and that The Times correspondent was recently expelled? If those events are correctly described, is the Minister saying that they have no relevance to the subject of relations between Her Majesty's Government and the Indian Government?
§ Mr. LuardWe deplore any departure from democratic principles and any violation of human rights in any part of the world, wherever they may occur. I cannot comment officially on any individual cases or policies which are wholly within the domestic jurisdiction of a particular country. The Government of India are in no doubt as to the feelings of Members of this House on the state of emergency in India.