Jawaharlal Nehru on permanent UNSC membership: ‘No question of a seat being offered and India declining it’

From the pages of ‘The Hindu’ dated September 28, 1955.

Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s statement on the U.N. Security Council membership, published in The Hindu dated September 28, 1955.

Here is Jawaharlal Nehru’s statement in reply to a question in the Lok Sabha on September 27, 1955 by Dr. J.N. Parekh on whether India had refused a seat informally offered to her in the U.N. Security Council.

Prime Minister Nehru has categorically denied any offer, formal or informal, having been received about a seat for In dia in the UN Security Council. He made this statement in reply to a short notice question in the Lok Sabha on September 27 by Dr. J.N. Parekh whether India had refused a seat informally offered to her in the Security Council. The Prime Minister said: “There has been no offer, formal or informal, of this kind. Some vague references have appeared in the press about it which have no foundation in fact. The composition of the Security Council is prescribed by the UN Charter, according to which certain specified nations have permanent seats. No change or addition can be made to this without an amendment of the Charter. There is, therefore, no question of a seat being offered and India declining it. Our declared policy is to support the admission of all nations qualified for UN membership.”