‘Diversity Is India’s Democratic Strength’: PM Modi
Prime Minister inaugurates 28th CSPOC at Samvidhan Sadan, highlights last-mile delivery and Global South leadership
- PM Modi inaugurated the 28th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth in New Delhi
- Said India turned diversity into the strength of its democracy
- Highlighted last-mile delivery as the core of Indian democracy
- Reiterated India’s leadership in voicing Global South concerns
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 15th Jan: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday inaugurated the 28th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC) at the Central Hall of Samvidhan Sadan, Parliament House Complex, asserting that India has transformed its vast diversity into the strength of its democracy.
Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister said that in India, democracy goes beyond electoral participation and means ensuring last-mile delivery of welfare benefits to every citizen. He stated that democratic institutions and processes in the country have provided democracy with “stability, speed and scale,” enabling India to emerge as the world’s fastest-growing major economy.
Recalling the historic significance of Samvidhan Sadan, Modi said the building symbolises India’s democratic journey, as it once hosted the Constituent Assembly that drafted the Constitution. He added that the hall has now been dedicated to democracy after India recently marked 75 years of the Constitution’s implementation.
Highlighting India’s democratic scale, the Prime Minister cited the 2024 general elections as the largest democratic exercise in human history, with nearly 980 million registered voters and participation from more than 700 political parties. He also underlined the growing leadership of women in public life, noting that India has around 1.5 million elected women representatives at the grassroots level.
Drawing parallels between India’s ancient traditions and modern governance, Modi said the country has a long history of debate, dialogue and collective decision-making, reinforcing its identity as the “Mother of Democracy.”
The Prime Minister further said that India is strongly raising the concerns of the Global South on all global platforms. Recalling India’s G20 Presidency, he said New Delhi had placed the priorities of the Global South at the centre of the global agenda and continues to build open-source digital platforms to help partner nations adopt similar systems.
The 28th CSPOC is being attended by Speakers and Presiding Officers from 42 Commonwealth countries and four semi-autonomous parliaments. The conference will deliberate on key parliamentary issues including the use of artificial intelligence in legislative functioning, the impact of social media on MPs and strategies to enhance citizen participation beyond voting.
