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| HIGH COMMISSIONER'S RECEPTION FOR LIB-DEM FRIENDS OF INDIA |
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Charles Kennedy, Lord Steel applaud Indian democracy
On the occasion of the annual conference of the Liberal Democrats party being currently held in Brighton, the High Commissioner of India Ronen Sen last evening hosted a reception for the Lib-Dem Friends of India group. The reception was attended by Lib-Dem Party Leader Charles Kennedy, Baroness Shirley Williams, Leader in the House of Lords, and several prominent Members of Parliament including Mark Oaten, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Party in the House of Commons, Dr. Alan Beith, Dr. Jenny Tonge, Mr. Dan Foster, Mr. Norman Lamb, Mr. Lembit Opik and Mr. David Chidgey from the House of Commons. Those present from the House of Lords included Party President Lord Navnit Dholakia, Lord Chris Rennard, Baroness Maddock, Baroness Northover, Baroness Harris, Lord Goodhart and Lord Fearn. Several Members of the European Parliament and the Scottish Parliament also attended. A special guest at the event was Lord David Steel, Speaker of the Scottish Parliament, former Leader of the Lib Dems and the founding President of the Lib Dem Friends of India.
Welcoming the guests, High Commissioner Sen appreciated the role played by the Lib-Dem Friends of India in strengthening relations between India and the United Kingdom. He spoke of the sense of confidence in India as a result of the country?s strong economic performance, highlighting the facts that foreign exchange reserves had crossed $ 87 billion and India had not only pre-paid several billion dollars of external debt but had also emerged as a significant donor to poorer countries and a creditor to the IMF. The stock market had rebounded, trade was rapidly increasing and a projected GDP growth rate of 6.5% for the current year demonstrated India?s resilience, despite the ongoing terrorist assaults on our democracy and economy as manifested by the recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Referring to the failure of the Cancun talks, High Commissioner said that India looked for greater market access and would continue to work for a more equitable and fair international trading system. He appreciated the LibDem support for outsourcing of services from India and a fairer multi-lateral trading system. He also congratulated Lord Dholakia for being the first person of Indian origin in UK to receive the Bharat Samman.
Lord Steel spoke of his deep affection and esteem for India and said that he had lost count of the number of times that he had visited the country, from which his daughter-in-law hailed. It was, he said, not just the world?s largest democracy but also the most vibrant. He added that not many persons recognised the vital role played by the office of the Chief Election Commissioner in ensuring the fairness of the electoral process in India and that it was an institution that many countries would do well to emulate.
Mr. Charles Kennedy said that he had enjoyed India?s traditional hospitality and warmth when he visited India a few years back. Accepting the High Commissioner Sen?s invitation, he said that he hoped to make another visit to the country soon and would seek to expand co-operation with India in a broad range of areas. The annual Lib Dem Friends of India reception at the party?s annual conferences had become a singularly important event on the conference calendar and he complimented the High Commissioner for these initiatives. Referring to the party?s recent by-election victory in Brent East, he said that he was proud of the fact that his party now represented the most ethnically-mixed parliamentary seat in UK. He said that his party was strongly committed to securing fuller representation for ethnic minorities and would remain steadfast and unflinching in its fight against racism.
Lord Navneet Dholakia, delivering the vote of thanks.
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