Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla Forms Parliamentary Friendship Groups with Over 60 Nations

In a significant move aimed at strengthening India’s parliamentary diplomacy, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday announced the formation of Parliamentary Friendship Groups (PFGs) with more than 60 countries. The initiative underscores India’s commitment to deepening institutional ties with legislatures across the world through structured and sustained engagement.

The newly constituted groups include Members of Parliament from across the political spectrum — notably, several opposition leaders and even some MPs who were recently suspended from the House for disciplinary reasons. The inclusive composition signals a bipartisan approach to international parliamentary outreach.

Senior Leaders Across Parties Included

Prominent parliamentarians appointed to various friendship groups include Ravi Shankar Prasad, Dr. M. Thambidurai, P. Chidambaram, Prof. Ram Gopal Yadav, T.R. Baalu, Dr. Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Gaurav Gogoi, Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, Manish Tewari, Derek O’Brien, Abhishek Banerjee, Asaduddin Owaisi, Akhilesh Yadav, K.C. Venugopal, Supriya Sule, Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Dr. Nishikant Dubey, Anurag Singh Thakur, Hema Malini, Shrikant Eknath Shinde, and Praful Patel, among others.

Countries Covered Under the Initiative

The Parliamentary Friendship Groups have been established with a wide range of nations and institutions, including Sri Lanka, Germany, New Zealand, Switzerland, South Africa, Bhutan, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Maldives, United States, Russia, the European Parliament, South Korea, Nepal, United Kingdom, France, Japan, Italy, Oman, Australia, Greece, Singapore, Brazil, Vietnam, Mexico, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates, among others.

Strengthening Parliamentary Diplomacy

The primary objective of these groups is to provide Indian MPs with direct channels of communication with their counterparts abroad. Through regular interaction, lawmakers will be able to exchange legislative experiences, share best practices, and foster deeper mutual understanding.

Beyond traditional diplomacy conducted by the executive branch, parliamentary diplomacy offers an additional platform to address issues such as trade, technology cooperation, cultural exchange, social policy frameworks, and pressing global challenges. The initiative aims to enhance bilateral trust and promote people-to-people engagement at the legislative level.

A Continuation of India’s Unified Global Outreach

The move comes in the backdrop of India’s recent diplomatic outreach following Operation Sindoor, during which Prime Minister Narendra Modi dispatched multi-party delegations to various countries to present India’s position on key security matters. By including leaders from diverse political ideologies in those delegations, the government sought to project national unity on issues of strategic importance.

The formation of over 60 Parliamentary Friendship Groups marks another important step in that direction, reinforcing India’s resolve to engage the world with a united and institutionally coordinated approach.