Reviving long-lost practice, India to send two parliamentary delegations to UNGA

New Delhi, Oct 6 (IANS) Two groups of Indian parliamentarians will head to New York in the coming days as part of the country's Non-Official Delegation to the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). This follows the decision taken by the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to revive the longstanding tradition of sending parliamentary delegations to the UNGA, allowing Members of Parliament (MPs) to contribute to international discourse.

BJP MP and Chairperson of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on 'One Nation One Election', P P Chaudhary will lead the first of the two groups which will comprise of 15 MPs each. The first group will be in New York from October 8-14 while the second batch of MPs will travel towards the end of the month.

The participation of the delegations showcases India’s renewed commitment to parliamentary diplomacy, ensuring that legislators once again have a presence in shaping conversations at the world’s premier multilateral forum.

The Non-Official Delegation provides MPs with a platform to engage in UN sessions, interact with India’s Permanent Mission, and represent India’s democratic ethos abroad. It also shows India’s growing global stature and the valuable contributions it has made to the UN.

The first group of the Non-Official Delegation includes P P Chaudhary (Leader), Anil Baluni, Captain Brijesh Chowta, Nishikant Dubey, Ujjwal Deorao Nikam, S Phangnon Konyak, Medha Vishram Kulkarni, Poonam Ben Maadam, Vamsi Krishna Gaddam, Vivek Tankha, T Sumathy, Sribharat Mathukumilli, Kumari Selja, NK Premachandran and Rajeev Rai.

The UNGA is the central deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN, where all 193 member states have an equal voice. It remains the only body in which every member country is represented at all times. Its main functions include debating global issues, passing resolutions, and creating subsidiary agencies to address specific challenges.

India had a longstanding tradition of sending parliamentary delegations to the UNGA, allowing MPs to contribute to international discourse. However, this was interrupted in 2004.

Earlier, many senior leaders had represented India at the UNGA - L K Advani in 2012 and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who was sent year after year by successive governments even before he became Prime Minister. The revival of non-official delegations under P P Chaudhary’s leadership signals India’s intention to restore that lost practice and strengthen parliamentary participation in international diplomacy.

--IANS

akl/as