Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan on Friday held a cordial and substantive meeting with Lord McFall of Alcluith, the Lord Speaker of the House of Lords, at Parliament House in New Delhi.
The interaction took place on the sidelines of the 28th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC), which India is hosting from January 14 to 16. Welcoming the Lord Speaker to the Rajya Sabha, the Vice President said his participation in the conference underlined the enduring friendship and strong parliamentary ties between India and the United Kingdom.
During the meeting, the Vice President highlighted the long and complex shared history between the two countries, noting that India’s parliamentary system drew inspiration from the Westminster model while evolving to reflect India’s unique democratic framework. He underlined the shared commitment of both Parliaments to democratic values such as the rule of law, parliamentary privilege, and effective oversight of the executive.
Emphasising freedom of speech with responsibility, the Vice President cautioned that parliamentary freedoms should not be misused for disruptive activities. He said these shared principles provided a strong foundation for mutual learning and cooperation.
The Vice President also stressed the importance of parliamentary diplomacy as a cornerstone of Commonwealth relations and reaffirmed India’s commitment to parliamentary exchange programmes. He suggested exploring avenues for joint workshops, training programmes and knowledge-sharing initiatives between the two legislatures.
Highlighting the growing role of technology in legislatures, he noted that India has adopted e-Parliament systems, live streaming of proceedings and digitised records. Expressing interest in the House of Lords’ experience with digital initiatives, he said collaboration in areas such as legislative drafting, committee work and public engagement could be mutually beneficial.
The Vice President further observed that the Commonwealth offers a unique platform for parliamentarians to exchange ideas and uphold democratic standards. He suggested that India and the UK could work together to advance global priorities through parliamentary and multilateral forums, including promoting women’s political participation, strengthening climate resilience through legislation, cooperation in higher education, and leveraging technology to make governance more inclusive and citizen-centric.
Concluding the meeting, the Vice President reaffirmed India’s commitment to shared democratic values and expressed hope that the visit would further strengthen bilateral parliamentary ties and inspire joint initiatives of relevance to the wider Commonwealth.
Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh was also present during the meeting.
