With the idea to dispel doubts about the India story abroad, Observer Research Foundation brought together the spokespersons of the two rival parties, the ruling Congress Party and the Opposition BJP, at a platform arranged by the US India Business Council (USIBC) in Washington on 18 September.
With the idea to dispel doubts about the India story abroad, Observer Research Foundation brought together the spokespersons of the two rival parties, the ruling Congress Party and the Opposition BJP, at a platform arranged by the US India Business Council (USIBC) in Washington on 18 September.
Mr. Manish Tewari and Rajiv Pratap Rudy represented the two main political parties and explained the positions of their parties regarding various issues to the business leaders and experts.
Introducing Mr. Tewari and Mr. Rudy, Mr. Sunjoy Joshi, Director, ORF, said the idea was to bring the two spokespersons to a common platform in a non-adversarial framework to unveil a shared vision for India.
Saying that the initiative was a success, Mr. Joshi felt that on a larger trajectory, the Indian story has been on the track and would remain on the track.
Sharing the platform, the two leaders praised India and raised expectations among Americans about India"s future to such heights that at some point a few Indians in the audience may have thought they were discussing a different country.
Instead of any fireworks over the political crisis back home or even barbs against each other that are normal between spokespersons of ruling parties and the Opposition, Mr. Tewari and Mr. Rudy were civil, politically correct and effusively cordial to each other on foreign soil.
Such was the civility at the meeting that the USIBC, which hosted the event, later said in a press release that "India"s vibrant democracy was on display today".
It was not a stretch, however, for the council to claim that their speeches and a question-answer session that followed constituted "a lively discussion on the current state of affairs in India and the recently announced "big bang" reforms, including the opening of multi-brand retail" which has become a touchstone for the UPA government"s commitment to reforms among the US business community.
Reflecting the mood at the meeting, USIBC president Mr. Ron Somers said that "now is the time for cooperation and action." The council "encourages progress, not politics", an ideal call, but a far cry from the ground realities in India.
Mr. Rudy said in his introductory remarks that "everything looks good in India" and went on to paint the picture of a country that has a bright future ahead. He, however, prefaced his comments with the constraint that he was on foreign soil and would, therefore, be guarded in what he would say.
Mr. Tewari, true to his cheeky style, said the pace of reform in India may not be to the liking of the country"s overseas friends. The implication was that liberalisation at home was solely India"s business and could not be dictated by organisations like the USIBC or other vested interests in America or anywhere else.
But he also rationalised that the latest package of reforms was delayed because the Manmohan Singh government became careful after the global economic crisis in 2008 which "demanded caution and prudence" while waiting to assess world trends and their impact on India.
By Mr. Tewari"s admission, his regular sparring partner from the BJP, Mr. Rudy, was "magnanimous" and "generous" in his restraint in Washington on domestic developments. Mr. Rudy refused to talk in any detail about corruption in India which has dominated headlines for months.
Jaws dropped among the audience when Mr. Tewari extolled the record of the previous NDA government in building strategic relations with the US, an initiative which the UPA has built on, he said, culminating in the nuclear deal.
Instead of turning on each other, both the spokespersons had subtle digs at the US. Drawing on his experience as civil aviation minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, Mr. Rudy drew the attention of USIBC members to rampant protectionism in America"s civil aviation when the organisers talked about India"s decision to allow foreign investment in the country"s aviation industry.
Mr. Rudy said when he was invited to the US on occasions, he had been told that he could only fly on American carriers and not on airlines of his choice because the tickets were being bought with the US government money.
Mr. Tewari referred to America"s yawning budget deficit and national debt and sent a message that the UPA government could not be reckless with reforms that could pave the way for similarly disastrous consequences.
The symphony on the stage between Congress and BJP rivals prompted the moderator of the session to hope that there would be such accord in American politics which is going through a searing election campaign with opposing parties tearing each other.
Mr. Tewari and Mr. Rudy also had extensive closed-door meetings with the Obama administration focusing mainly on the State Department and the Pentagon.
Report courtesy: The Telegraph, Calcutta
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