Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, declared that India’s expansive Parliamentary Friendship Groups spanning over 60 countries will deepen strategic alliances and cement parliamentary diplomacy as a fundamental element of foreign policy architecture.
Spearheaded by Speaker Om Birla, the 64 groups inaugurate a new era of legislative diplomacy, aimed at reinforcing traditional efforts via persistent inter-parliament dialogues.
Rijiju’s X update linked the move to PM Modi’s call after Operation Sindoor, noting Birla’s swift implementation to bolster worldwide democratic networks.
An all-star lineup of parliamentarians—including Derek O’Brien, Abhishek Banerjee, Rajeev Satav, and Nishikant Dubey—will lead, embodying multipartisan unity. Debut partners feature Maldives, European Union Parliament, Oman, Greece, Singapore, Vietnam, Mexico, and UAE.
Central to the mission: fostering maker-to-maker communications, legislative knowledge transfer, practice swaps, and forums on commerce, innovation, welfare policies, heritage, and democratic challenges.
Study missions, steady dialogues, and synergy sessions will forge reliability and insight, solidifying ties. Echoing Modi’s post-operation delegations that aligned parties on security, this institutionalizes cohesion.
Birla’s longstanding push for parliamentary globalism now materializes, making legislatures dynamic contributors. By sidelining divides and uniting voices, it reveals India’s democratic sophistication.
These forums empower parliaments as collaboration hubs, essential for navigating global interdependencies with poise and purpose.