New Delhi: The recently announced bipartisan Friendship Group of Parliamentarians in the Lok Sabha received strong support from Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his speech in the Knesset, where he elaborated on the role that the group can play in strengthening relations at the legislative level of the two countries.Modi called for greater parliamentary interaction between the two democracies, using a parliamentary group led by PPP MP Battrukhari Mahtab that is tasked with engaging Israeli lawmakers.The idea of ​​setting up such committees, 64 of which were announced by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday, was conceived by Modi during an interaction with a multi-party delegation of MPs. The delegations were formed to convey India’s position to the world in the wake of Operation Sindoor as the top brass of the government recognized their role in articulating bipartisan positions on issues of national interest.Modi then talked about institutionalizing a two-party platform, ultimately creating 64 such groups to promote relations with 61 countries and three blocs, including the European Parliament and the Nordic countries.If the event, which has traditionally been conducted with government input, reflects Parliament’s desire to deepen engagement with legislative bodies around the world to complement traditional diplomacy, its decidedly bipartisan composition conveys an attempt to build inter-party camaraderie at a time of growing spat between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Development Alliance and opposition parties.The groups include eight MPs, seven from the Congress and one from the CPM, who were suspended during the budget session of the Lok Sabha for “unruly” protests.Birla himself is facing a removal notice from the opposition parties, which is expected to be taken up when Parliament reconvenes after adjournment on March 9.Ruling National Democratic Alliance MPs from the House and Senate lead 37 of these groups, while others serve as presidents of 27 groups, including 10 from the Congress and three from the three main opposition parties Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Trinamool Congress and Samajwadi Party.
