The Prime Minister, Mrs. Indira Gandhi, told the Rajya Sabha to-day [New Delhi, June 15] that with each passing day the possibility of a political settlement in Bangla Desh was becoming more remote. She dismissed fears that India would acquiesce in a political settlement at the cost of democracy and the rights of the people fighting there and said that any settlement “must be arrived at with those people who are to-day being suppressed.” The Prime Minister who was replying to a four-hour debate on the situation caused by the influx of six million refugees, assured the House that this nation would make all the sacrifices and even “go through hell” to look after the refugees. Stressing the responsibility of the international community in a situation which not only resulted in a colossal refugee influx, but also involved the question of democracy and human rights, Mrs. Gandhi said India’s Ministers and other emissaries who had gone abroad had some successes in bringing home the reality of the situation to those countries. “We are not going to allow the international community to get away with it. They have to realise it is their responsibility,” she said.
