Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday stated that the absence of India from the UNSC "undermines the moral legitimacy" of the power global institution.
"When India, the most populous nation of the world, does not find a seat as a permanent member of the UNSC, it tends to undermine the moral legitimacy of the UN. Therefore, the time has come for making the UN bodies more democratic and representative of the current realities of our age," Singh said during a public event marked to celebrate 75 years of United Nations (UN) Peacekeeping in New Delhi.
The minister added that democratization of UN bodies was the need of the hour as it would make the institution more "representative" of the present realities of today's age and time.
"One important reform that stares us in our faces is to make UN decision-making bodies, including the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), more reflective of demographic realities of the world," Singh elaborated.
Notably, the Defense Minister's comments came in the presence of Shombi Sharp who serves as the UN Resident Coordinator in Delhi.
Once again stressing the point about UNSC's expansion, Singh noted, "While we commemorate the past, we must also look towards the future."
Global South Calls for UNSC Reform
India alongside Germany, Japan, Brazil, and South Africa have been pushing strongly for enlarging the UNSC, arguing that they deserve a seat in the prestigious body that is mandated to take key decisions on global issues, including sanctioning global terrorists.
The UN currently has five permanent members - the US, the UK, Russia, France, and China and 10 non-permanent members that are elected every two years.
India's last term in the Council ended in December 2022, after having spent two years there as a non-permanent member.