Prime Minister welcomed the dignitaries to the G20 Parliamentary Speakers’ Summit on behalf of 140 crore citizens of India. “The Summit is a ‘Maha Kumbh’ of all Parliamentary practices from across the globe”, the Prime Minister remarked. Underlining that all the delegates present today hold the experience of the Parliamentary framework from different countries, Shri Modi expressed great satisfaction with today’s event.
Referring to the festive season in India, the Prime Minister said that G20 kept the festive fervor going throughout the year as G20 festivities pervaded many cities where G20-related events were organized during India’s presidency.
These festivities were augmented by events like the moon landing of Chandrayaan, a successful G20 summit and the P20 summit. “The biggest strength of any nation is its people and their will power and this summit is a medium to celebrate that”, he said.
The Prime Minister emphasized that the P20 Summit is taking place on the land which is not only known as the mother of democracy but is also the largest democracy in the world.
As representatives of different Parliaments from around 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.
