British Members of Parliament visit The Hindu Centre

A six-member delegation of British Members of Parliament visited The Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy in Chennai on April 5, 2013.

The delegation expressed keen interest in the Centre’s activities and said it had the potential to take the lead on key issues that are important to restore public faith in democratic institutions. The UK, too, they said, is looking at the issue of reforming its institutions.

At a lunch meeting organized by The Hindu Centre, which was attended by staff of The Hindu Centre and senior journalists of The Hindu Group of publications, the delegation discussed a wide range of issues which included economic polices of the States, freedom of the press, the Centre-State relationship, the extent of participation of women in the workforce and the role of women in politics.

The MPs spoke about their impressions of Tamil Nadu as a State that has shown a good record of wealth generation and increased business opportunities, as opposed to other less prosperous States in the country. The discussion that followed focused on the State’s strong policies to welcome industry and capital, its higher education system and its welfare-oriented development policies.

A. R. Venkatachalapathy, member of the Board of Advisors, The Hindu Centre, told the delegation that the rapid expansion of the media, particularly in the Indian languages, had widened the base for the articulation of peoples’ aspirations in both cultural and political spheres.

N. Ram and N. Ravi, members of the Board of Management of The Hindu Centre, introduced the Centre and its activities to the visiting delegation.

The delegation was led by Alun Cairns and included Baroness Buscombe, Jonathan Djanogly, Baroness Gale, Mary Macleod, and Lord Rana. The MPs were accompanied by Andrew Tuggey, Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Paul Rennie, British High Commission, New Delhi, Mike Nithavrianakis, British Deputy High Commissioner, Chennai, and Rudy Fernandez, Head (South India) Press and Public Affairs, British Deputy High Commission, Chennai.

The MPs are in India as part of a visit organised by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association to better understand the complexities and challenges faced by Indian Parliamentarians, and to learn more about the working relationship between the Union and State governments, the functioning of Parliament and State Legislatures, and the relationship between the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.