NEW DELHI: After formally inaugurating the 28th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC), Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday asserted that India’s diversity has become the strength of its democracy.
He said India has proved that “democracy delivers” and that, under its democratic system, the country has shown the world how democratic institutions and processes provide stability, speed and scale to development.
The Prime Minister said democracy has delivered results in India because people remain at the centre of governance and are the top priority. “In India, democracy means last-mile delivery,” PM Modi told delegates who had arrived from across Commonwealth nations.
Speaking largely in English and occasionally switching to Hindi, he said welfare measures undertaken with a spirit of public service are ensured to reach everyone without discrimination, adding that more than 25 crore poor people have been lifted out of poverty in the past few years. “And, it shows in India that democracy delivers,” he remarked.
Recalling how doubts were raised after Independence about whether democracy could survive amid India’s vast diversity, PM Modi said, “This very diversity has become the strength of Indian democracy and now development with democracy is being widely delivered.”
“Contrary to these doubts, India has demonstrated that democratic institutions and processes provide stability, scale and speed to its development,” Modi said.
He noted that India is the fastest-growing major economy in the world, has the world’s largest digital payment system through UPI, and is the largest vaccine producer globally.
He added that India is also the second-largest steel producer, has the third-largest start-up ecosystem, the third-largest aviation market, the fourth-largest railway network and 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 India is hosting for the fourth time.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh, President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union Tulia Ackson, and Chairperson of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Christopher Kalila were among the dignitaries present.
PM Modi said nearly 50 per cent of the Commonwealth’s total population resides 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,” he said.
Highlighting the growing importance of the Global South, the Prime Minister said that at a time of unprecedented global transformation, it is also the moment for the Global South to chart new pathways.
He added that India is strongly raising the concerns of the Global South on every global platform.
“During its G20 Presidency as well, India placed the priorities of the Global South at the centre of the global agenda,” he said.
The Prime Minister further said the scale of India’s democracy is truly extraordinary, citing the 2024 general elections in which 980 million citizens were registered to vote, a figure larger than the population of some continents.
Referring to the vastness of India’s electoral process, he said there were more than 8,000 candidates and over 700 political parties in the fray, with record participation by women voters.
He said Indian democracy is rich in diversity, with hundreds of languages spoken across the country. India also has more than 900 television channels in different languages and thousands of newspapers and periodicals. The Prime Minister said very few societies manage diversity on such a scale, and India celebrates this diversity because its democracy rests on strong foundations.
“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 known as the “Mother of Democracy”.