Seanad Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 31 Oct 1984

Vol. 105 No. 13

Death of Prime Minister of India: Motion.

Professor Dooge

I move:

That Seanad Éireann extend its deepest sympathy to the Government and to the people of India on the tragic death of Indira Gandhi.

Mrs. Gandhi was the daughter of Pandit Nehru, the first Prime Minister of independent India. She was a student at the University founded by the philosopher Tagore who took great interest in our own national revival in the early years of this century. She was, as were all the Indian nationalists of her generation, influenced greatly by the ideas of Mahatma Gandhi. She sought to make her contribution to the development of her country through active politics. She was a member of the Congress Party from the age of 21, active in all its work, and in the turbulent politics of her time she suffered imprisonment for her activities. She became a member of the Indian Government in 1964 and was Prime Minister from 1966 until 1977 and again from 1980 until her tragic death.

In all respects Indira Gandhi was an outstanding personality of the modern age. She was very much a woman politician of the modern age, and it is particularly tragic and horrifying that she met her death through the manifestation of one of the most disturbing features of this modern age — the use of violence for political purposes.

It is only fitting that we in this House should express our sympathy. Though we are a small country and India is an immense country, there have been many links. Many Irishmen contributed to the best features of development of British India in the 19th century. Irish thinking influenced the Indian national movement. Indira Gandhi and her father were welcome guests in this country. She achieved much for India during her time as Prime Minister, and from this we can learn much. Our sympathy must go out to the Government, to India and all its millions and to her surviving son.

Mr. Smith

On behalf of the Fianna Fáil group in this House I should like to support the message of sympathy to the Indian Government and to the family of Mrs. Gandhi. Perhaps not since the slaying of President Kennedy has the world witnessed the same kind of tragedy. It brings home to all of us that violence all over the world has developed to a point where no person in any country can be entirely safe.

Mrs. Gandhi and her family, and her father before, have given tremendous service to their country and to the world. As the Leader of the House has said, there have been many contacts between India and Ireland. Mrs. Gandhi in particular took immense pride in trying to shape Indian independence on the history of this small country. To her family and to the people of India we send a message of sympathy and hope that the world can come to grips with and learn a lesson from these kinds of tragedies which seem to be happening all too regularly in our society today.

Mr. Ferris

On behalf of the Labour Party I want to be associated with the expression of sympathy by the Leader of the House to the Government and the people of India and the family of the late Mrs. Indira Gandhi. From the date of her election as Prime Minister in 1966 she became one of the best known political leaders and political figures in the world. She had a very turbulent political career — during which she had to contend with poverty in her country. They had to try to come to grips with democracy. Mrs. Gandhi also had to deal with ethnic and religious minorities, which can be difficult in a democracy where people should accept the results of the ballot box but unfortunately resort to violence when that result is not to their liking.

Her assassination this morning has shocked us all in public life. Extraordinarily she was aware of the fact that she was under threat because of some of the controversial actions earlier this year by the Sikhs. Whether they are responsible will be a matter for historical record. Twenty-four hours ago Mrs. Gandhi said: "For every drop of blood that I spill for India, I shall be proud of it". Twenty-four hours later she has been assassinated in trying to do her best for her country.

This brings back to us the assassinations of other great political leaders like the late President Kennedy with whom we had very close links and President Sadat of Egypt, whom I had the pleasure of meeting on one occasion on a visit to Egypt. People who are to the foremost in their political careers and have to face the democratic process and make unpopular decisions at times should not be subjected to the violence of terrorism from any quarter, either within or without their own country.

I join with the Leader of the House in the expression of sympathy to the Government of India who are now meeting in emergency session, to the great and proud people of India and to her family. Mrs. Gandhi's family are still involved in politics and please God peace will come to that vast country. Everybody in the world would probably have recognised her, and this is something that is always a danger in political life when somebody is so well known and is so controversial. It is a tragedy that she should lose her life like this.

Mr. B. Ryan

It would be true to say that the late Mrs. Gandhi was not without her blemishes, and indeed many of us in various parts of the world would have been critical of her. Nevertheless, whatever reservations there may have been she had an enormous number of achievements and positive qualities which in retrospect would more than counter-balance any of these other things. She was a great champion of non-alignment and a formidable critic of the attempts by super powers to divide the world up into opposing blocs. She recognised clearly the insanity of that particular approach, and she contributed enormously to creating the sense of independence and of non-alignment. She was, in the best sense of the word, committed to a form of neturality which I think contributed enormously to the leverage which non-aligned and third world countries have in world politics. She was, in her commitment in particular to a new economic order, a champion of the oppressed of the world. She used the enormous prestige of what is the largest democracy in the world to great effect on behalf of the oppressed of the world.

There is a particular tragedy about the violent death of the leader of a country whose greatest spiritual contribution to the world has been through the writings and example of the founder of modern India, Mahatma Gandhi and in particular his profound commitment to non-violence, which has inspired not just the people of India but the people of the entire world. It has been a profound inspiration to other movements of non-violence in the West. I am always reminded of the remark that is attributed to Mahatma Gandhi, that he thought western civilisation would be a good idea if we ever found it. We have learned, and have come to learn in recent times from Indian culture and tradition an enormous amount about the spiritual nature of man. It is a particular tragedy, therefore, that the leader of a country which has contributed so much to human understanding, as we have begun to understand it in recent times, and to human life, should be assassinated. I would therefore wish to be associated with the motion proposed by the Leader of the House. I extend, on behalf of all the Independent Members of this House, I am sure, the sympathies of this House to the Government and the people of India and indeed to Mrs. Gandhi's own family.

Motion agreed to.

Members rose in their places.