New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said India has turned diversity into the strength of its democracy, and shown the world that democratic institutions and processes give stability, speed and scale to its development.
Inaugurating the 28th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC), Modi also said democracy delivered results in India because the people of the country were at the heart of governance.
“In India, democracy means last-mile delivery,” he said, adding that welfare measures undertaken by the government with a spirit of public welfare, reach every individual without discrimination.
“Due to this spirit of welfare, 25 crore people have come out of poverty in recent years. In India, democracy delivers,” he said.
The prime minister recalled that when India gained Independence, many doubted whether democracy could survive amidst the country’s immense diversity.
“However, this very diversity became the strength of Indian democracy,” he said.
Modi said there were also doubts about India’s progress even if democracy did take root in the country.
“Contrary to these doubts, India has demonstrated that democratic institutions and processes provide stability, scale, and speed to its development,” he said.
The prime minister said India was the fastest-growing major economy in the world, has the world’s largest digital payment system through UPI, and the largest vaccine producer.
He said India was also the second-largest steel producer, has the third-largest start up ecosystem, the third-largest aviation market, the fourth-largest railway network, the third-largest metro rail network. It is also the largest milk producer, and the second-largest rice producer.
Sixty-one speakers and presiding officers from 42 Commonwealth nations were attending the CSPOC which was being hosted by India for the fourth time.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh, President of Inter Parliamentary Union Tulia Ackson, Chairperson of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Christopher Kalila were present among other dignitaries at the event.
Modi said nearly 50 per cent of the Commonwealth’s total population resided in India which has consistently sought to contribute as much as possible to the development of all nations.
“India continuously makes efforts to learn from fellow partners and also ensures that India’s experiences benefit other Commonwealth nations,” the prime minister said.
Modi said at a time when the world is undergoing unprecedented transformation, it is also the moment for the Global South to chart new pathways.
The CSPOC is deliberating on a wide range of contemporary parliamentary issues, including the role of speakers and presiding officers, in maintaining strong democratic institutions.
The use of artificial intelligence in parliamentary functioning, the impact of social media on Members of Parliament, innovative strategies to enhance public understanding of Parliament and citizen participation beyond voting, among others, are also being discussed at the conference.
Modi said the scale of India’s democracy is truly extraordinary and cited the 2024 general elections where 980 million citizens were registered to vote, a number larger than the population of some continents.
The prime minister said there were more than 8,000 candidates and over 700 political parties contesting, and the elections also witnessed record participation by women voters.
He said Indian democracy was rich in diversity with hundreds of languages being spoken. The country also has over 900 television channels across different languages, and thousands of newspapers and periodicals published.
The prime minister said very few societies manage diversity at such a scale, and India celebrates this diversity because its democracy has a strong foundation.
“India’s democracy is like a large tree supported by deep roots. India has a long tradition of debate, dialogue, and collective decision-making,” he said while noting that India is called the ‘Mother of Democracy’.
