Perspective: Parliamentary Friendship Groups | 24 February, 2026

Sansad Tv

In a significant step towards strengthening India’s inter- parliamentary engagement with the world, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has constituted Parliamentary Friendship Groups with more than 60 countries across continents.The idea is simple but powerful – i.e. to take diplomacy beyond governments and into legislatures, enabling direct dialogue between elected representatives. Coming in the backdrop of India’s recent multi-party diplomatic outreach after Operation Sindoor, the formation of these groups reinforces a powerful message – that when it comes to issues of national interest, India speaks in one voice. So how will these Friendship Groups function? What difference can parliamentary diplomacy really make? And how can lawmakers help shape India’s global partnerships in a rapidly changing world?

 

Guests: 1.  Shashank Mani, MP, Lok Sabha, Deoria, Uttar Pradesh, BJP

  1. Sandeep Phukan, Senior Journalist

 

Anchor: Teena Jha

Producer: Sagheer Ahmad

Guest Coordinator: Deepti Vashisht, Vinod Kumar Singh, Paras Kandpal

 

Sansad Television is the Parliamentary channel of India. It was created in 2021 by merging Lok Sabha Television and Rajya Sabha Television.

 

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