Members of India’s Parliament meet at Yale to discuss political-social challenges

Global political-economic affairs and the challenges of leadership are the focus of the 5th India-Yale Parliamentary Leadership Program that is being held on the Yale campus June 16-25.

Widely recognized for educating leaders in government, business, and civil society worldwide, Yale launched the India - Yale Parliamentary Leadership Program in 2007 in collaboration with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the India - U.S. Forum of Parliamentarians. In total, more than 60 members of India’s parliament will have since participated in the program.

“The India - Yale Parliamentary Leadership Program underscores Yale’s longstanding commitment to educating our students for service and leadership,” says President Richard C. Levin. “We have now gone a step further to include emerging and mid-career leaders. The program will provide the parliamentarians with opportunities to think critically about the challenges of leadership and to explore freely, away from the legislative arena, the issues facing India.”

Baijayant (Jay) Panda, the chair of the India - U.S. Forum of Parliamentarians, stated that “[t]his annual leadership program for Indian parliamentarians … has been widely appreciated by those of us serving in politics. The presentations and discussions cover a range of topics and ideas, by and with some of the top academics in the world, and the setting is excellent for vigorous but non-partisan exchanges of views. That more than 60 of us will have attended this program, and that many more want to attend in the years ahead, only underscores the stature of the Yale program among India’s parliamentarians.”

The India - Yale Parliamentary Leadership Program was developed in consultation with the parliamentarians and the India - U.S. Forum of Parliamentarians and reflects the belief that exposure to new fields and ideas can offer insight, perspective, and new ways of thinking for one’s own work. Lectures, discussions, and private meetings with renowned practitioners in their areas complement the curricular activities of the Yale program. Faculty for the program are drawn from experts at Yale, as well as research institutes, government offices and the private sector.

The participating 2011 parliamentarians are: Bhakta Charan Das (Lok Sabha - Indian National Congress - Kalahandi, Orissa); Piyush Goyal (Rajya Sabha - Bharatiya Janata Party - Maharashtra); Sanjay Jaiswal (Lok Sabha - Bharatiya Janata Party - Paschim Champaran, Bihar); Jose K. Mani (Lok Sabha - Kerala Congress (M) Parliamentary Party - Kottayam, Kerala); Baijayant Panda (Lok Sabha - Biju Janata Dal - Kendrapara, Orissa; and chair, India-U.S. Forum of Parliamentarians); Anand Prakash Paranjpe (Lok Sabha - Shiv Sena - Kalyan, Maharashtra); Ranjitsinh Vijaysingh Mohite Patil (Rajya Sabha - Nationalist Congress Party - Maharashtra); Sachin Pilot (Lok Sabha - Indian National Congress - Ajmer, Rajasthan; and minister of state for communications and information technology); Prem Das Rai (Lok Sabha - Sikkim Democratic Front - Sikkim); Rajiv Pratap Rudy (Rajya Sabha - Bharatiya Janata Party - Bihar); Supriya Sule (Lok Sabha - Nationalist Congress Party - Baramati, Maharashtra); Ashok Tanwar (Lok Sabha - Indian National Congress - Sirsa, Haryana); and Manish Tewari (Lok Sabha - Indian National Congress - Ludhiana, Punjab). The parliamentarians are accompanied by Ramesh Chandran, executive director, India - U.S. Forum of Parliamentarians and advisor, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.