“Consensus is an extension of the process of compromise”, stated Mr V P Singh, Member of Parliament, Bharatiya Janata Party, at the CII AGM. Mr Singh was speaking at a session on “Building Consensus, Building Nation”. He further elucidated his views on the subject by eluding that in order to move forward as a nation, the Indian politicians need to develop consensus in every sphere of public life. He stressed that consensus need not be just between different political parties, but also within a political party. He lamented the fact that one party proposes a reform when in government and opposes the same when in opposition. He ended his remarks by suggesting that the Indian political class must learn from the reform approach of Mexico which overcame crippling political polarization within the country and achieved broad consensus in political decision making. 

In his address, Mr D Raja, Member of Parliament (RS), Communist Party of India (CPI) remarked that the Indian political elite needs to be clear on the kind of nation that they would want to build. He stressed that India needs to move forward as a democracy, not an autocracy. According to his views, the Constitution of India has framed a clear road map for nation building which the current political class needs to follow. He said that the framing of the Constitution of India is the best example of a consensus building process which our nation has witnessed. 

In his address, Mr Dinesh Trivedi, Member of Parliament (LS), All India Trinamool Congress said that “Consensus primarily depends on leadership”. While invoking the example of the Mahabharata, Mr Trivedi remarked that the Indian nation cannot move forward on the path of progress unless consensus is developed in Parliament. He concluded by saying that while the Indian political parties may fail to develop consensus in Parliament, but the Indian people have a firm consensus when exercising their power to vote.  

Reflecting similar sentiments, Mr Pavan Kumar Varma, Member of Parliament (RS), Janta Dal (United) stated that Corporate India and the Indian Political class need to build a broad consensus for eradicating social ills such as illiteracy, malnutrition and poverty if India is to progress as a nation. He said that consensus is not created in a void, but is contextual. He warned that India cannot move forward on the path of prosperity and development unless there is a broad consensus between India’s corporates and political elite on the need to rid it of all social ills. 

Mr Sachin Pilot, President, Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee and Senior Leader, Indian National Congress started by stating that the last 25 years have seen several commonalities of views of the Indian political class on several issues. He commended the Indian political elite for developing a broad consensus over the years in several sectors of critical importance such as Defence, Foreign Policy and Internal Security. He stated that the opposition in Parliament is obligated to help the government in power in achieving important national objectives. He further said that in a democracy, the government at the center needs to reach out to the opposition in order to initiate the consensus building process. The opposition, he eluded, should be commended for their role in passing of bills in Parliament and not be labeled as obstructionist when they don’t. He urged the government and the opposition to sit together, deliberate and move forward on several issues of national importance through a process of dialogue. 

The session was chaired by Ms Shobana Kamineni, Executive Vice Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals Enterprises Limited. 

New Delhi
7 April 2015