New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla Thursday announced that the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum will be held at the ‘Samvidhan Sadan’ October 26–27.
Addressing a press conference at Parliament House, Birla said that the Forum marks a new chapter in the history of India’s parliamentary diplomacy. It will bring together Presiding Officers and parliamentary leaders from BRICS member and partner countries, Union Ministers, Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha Harivansh, Presiding Officers of State Legislatures, Members of Parliament and other dignitaries.
The Lok Sabha Speaker said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would attend the event and meet the delegates of 11 BRICS member countries and 10 specially invited partner countries, while mentioning that Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia have declined to participate.
The Forum would feature bilateral and multilateral interactions with the leaders of visiting delegations and parliamentary friendship groups, he added. A meeting of the Secretaries of the delegations will be held October 25 to finalise the Joint Statement of the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum.
“So far, suggestions have been received from 18 countries, and discussions will take place accordingly. India has launched a new initiative and has established Parliamentary Friendship Groups with 64 countries. This is the first time such a major effort has been undertaken, although attempts were made in the past. We are continuously expanding these Parliamentary Friendship Groups in countries where parliamentary friendship forums between India and those countries already exist,” Birla said.
Highlighting the central theme of the programme, Birla said that the Forum would deliberate on the overarching theme of “Strengthening Parliaments for People-Centric Development”.
“The Forum would facilitate consensus-based dialogue through the four high-level sessions–Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability,” he added.
Further, calling the BRICS Joint Declaration in September a “major achievement” for India, Birla said: “India’s Parliament also holds discussions and engages in dialogue with all countries to build consensus. I hope that, with the agreement of all countries, there will be a joint declaration at the BRICS Parliamentary Forum as well.”
Expressing hope that the exchange of experiences at the BRICS forum would help participating countries learn from one another, he said: “During discussions at various platforms, including the CSPC, several members of parliament and officials from different countries have visited India to observe our use of AI and technology for translation into 22 languages, parliamentary communication, committee procedures and other best practices…Countries then adopt the practice which they deem right according to their nation’s political situation. Certain things, like those related to AI, are learnt by them from us and vice versa.”
“Most Legislative Assemblies in India have gone paperless. Now our effort is better utilisation of AI technology in all the Assemblies,” he said while highlighting that the use of technology should be “people-centric”.
Birla said that such practices, inspired by the Parliament, will also be implemented at the grassroots levels like Municipal Councils and Panchayats.
The Lok Sabha Speaker also referred to sloganeering within the Parliament, saying: “Proceedings in the Parliament are watched by the nation that is why I keep on saying that solution can be derived from communication. Creating ruckus is not right for the House as democratic institutions across the world look up to India and India’s democratic institutions look at the Parliament.”
Maintaining that ideologies can differ, he stressed that India’s democracy is strong because the nation adopted the process of communication.
Emphasising that terrorism has remained a serious global challenge, Birla said: “Terrorism is a serious challenge for the world. India’s position has consistently been against terrorism, and we have always condemned it at every level. I hope there will be a detailed discussion on this issue within BRICS as well. Terrorism must end in every country.”
Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha Speaker welcomed a Russian delegation, saying that a bilateral meeting would be held with its members, along with a meeting of the India-Russia Parliamentary Friendship Group.
He expressed hope that Russia’s parliamentary experience and participation in international parliamentary forums would contribute to the discussions and help strengthen cooperation between the two countries’ legislatures.
