"India's role is seen in consensus building": Union Minister Meenakashi Lekhi
Oct 13, 2023
New Delhi [India], October 13 : Union Minister Meenakashi Lekhi on Friday said that India's role is seen in consensus building and that the country has the habit of working in contradictory conditions.
The Union Minister was speaking on the sidelines of the two-day 9th P20 Summit, which began on Friday.
"India's role is seen in consensus building. India has the habit of working in contradictory conditions... It is among India's traditions to listen to everyone and to extract and present deep subjects. In G20 too, we were able to generate a G20 statement. India has the experience, it clears its path in all the diversity," Lekhi told ANI.
During the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the P20 Summit is taking place on the land that is not only known as the mother of democracy but is also the largest democracy in the world.
The Prime Minister underlined the importance of debates and deliberations as he mentioned accurate examples of such debates from history.
He informed that assemblies and committees have found a mention in the five-thousand-year-old Vedas and scriptures of India, where collective decisions were made for the betterment of society.
Speaking about Rigveda, India's oldest scripture, the Prime Minister recited a Sanskrit shloka which means 'We must walk together, speak together and that our minds must be conjoined'.
He informed that issues related to the village level were resolved by indulging in debates which became a source of great amazement for the Greek ambassador Megasthenes who wrote about it in great detail.
The Prime Minister also touched upon a 9th-century inscription in Tamil Nadu which elaborates upon rules and codes of village legislatives.
"The 1200-year-old inscription also mentions the rules for disqualification of a member", he added.
Earlier this month, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, at a press briefing, informed that apart from G20 countries, ten other countries and international organizations will participate in the P20 Summit and so far, 50 Parliamentarians and 14 Secretary Generals, including 26 Presidents, 10 Vice Presidents, one Committee Chairman and the IPU President have confirmed their participation.
Speakers and heads of the delegation of Indonesia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Spain, European Parliament, Italy, South Africa, Russia, Turkiye, Nigeria, Australia, Brazil, UAE, Singapore, Japan, Egypt and Bangladesh were present at the event.
The itinerary on the inaugural day of the 9th G20 Parliamentary Speakers' Summit (P20) and Parliamentary Forum includes two separate sessions on Friday.
The first session comprises a discussion on 'One Earth, One Family, One Future' with Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), showcasing achievements and accelerating progress.
The second session will be on 'One Earth Sustainable Energy Transition-Gateway to Green Future'.
