PM Modi to brief leaders on G20 at all-party meet

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a meeting with heads of all major parties on Monday to evolve a political consensus on India’s goals during its first presidency of the G20, according to people aware of the matter.

The meeting will also get a detailed briefing on the presidency goals for the leaders across party lines before seeking their suggestions. Unlike other all-party meetings, only the chiefs of political parties have been invited for the briefing at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre on Monday at 5pm, the people quoted above said.

An official, who asked not to be named, indicated that India’s G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant will brief the leaders on the preparations and the objectives of this unique opportunity before the PM speaks about the overall goals.

Apart from discussions on key subjects that would be decided over the course of time, the Narendra Modi government will showcase the Indian model for development and potential solution of issues, push the country’s position as a contributor to the shaping of the agenda while aiming for a global leadership role and to emerge as the voice of the Global South in its first G20 presidency.

The G20 meeting in Delhi next year will also be the largest such gathering as New Delhi will demonstrate the country’s successes such as the public digital infrastructure, the country as the pharmacy of the world and robust financial inclusion model to influence the world in lifestyle for environment, climate financing, energy transition and women-led development — areas in which India has developed a robust structure in the last seven years.

On December 1, when India officially took over the presidency, Modi mentioned how it was coming at a time of “crisis and chaos in the world”.

“The symbol of the lotus in the G20 logo is a representation of hope in these times. No matter how adverse the circumstances, the lotus still blooms. Even if the world is in a deep crisis, we can still progress and make the world a better place,” he said.

All leaders invited for the meeting are expected to turn up, the official quoted above said. A senior political leader said: “We want to offer our ideas to the government but the government’s track record says that it has never accepted our suggestions.”

Parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi has invited various party leaders for the meeting.

According to functionaries involved in the G20 efforts, India wants to emerge as the voice of the Global South and the presidency would be an opportunity to showcase areas where the government has launched wide-scale efforts.

There would be at least four areas where New Delhi will show its success story to influence other nations. “Lifestyle for environment, climate finance, energy transition and women-led development (a priority area of PM Modi) would be the issues we would highlight,” another official said, asking not to be named.