December 11, 2022
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On G20 Presidency

Below we publish CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury’s intervention made on December 5, 2022, at the meeting of leaders of political parties called by the union government on India assuming G-20 Presidency.

THIS meeting has been called to brief the leaders of political parties on India assuming the presidentship of the G20 and the plans the government has of holding around 200 meetings at multiple locations.

The G20 presidency is a rotating presidency. Every country in the G20 will automatically be the president when their turn comes. 

The G20 was formed in 1999 following the South Asian economic crisis. The G7 was expanded to G20 when the richest countries roped in the emerging economies to share the burden of the crisis that inevitably follows the neo-liberal economic reforms trajectory.

An initial ministerial level consultation was converted into the heads of government summits following the global financial meltdown in 2008. Since then, the method of rotational presidency was adopted which has little to do with the domestic economy or socio-political situation.

The prime minister has announced a domestic political campaign programme around the theme ‘One Earth-One Family-One Future’ and declared that “India’s G20 Presidency will work to promote the universal sense of one-ness.”

The concept Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam does not mean imposing a uniformity but is the recognition of a global family where social pluralities are celebrated by treating all diversities on the basis of equality and dignity. Such a global family is premised on such societies established domestically in every country.

The credibility of the theme announced by the PM is crucially dependent upon creating a society and a political structure which is based on equality for all as the Constitution of India declares “irrespective of caste, creed or sex”. It is premised on the delivery of justice – social, political and economic to all citizens.

The current alarming levels of communal polarisation based on vicious campaigns of hate, terror and violence destroy the foundations of the declaration announced by the PM. Our economic slowdown is plunging deeper with alarmingly growing levels of unemployment and poverty. Social injustices against women, dalits, adivasis, and marginal sections are multiplying. Constitutional guarantees of democratic rights and civil liberties are severely circumscribed by treating all expressions of dissent as ‘anti-national.’

The realisation of the theme announced by the government will be determined by correcting these current alarming trends in social, political and economic spheres and strictly adhering to our constitutional foundations of liberty, equality and fraternity that define the character for our secular democratic republic.

The government must work towards realising this objective if the world has to recognise these declared objectives of India’s G20 presidency.