Proud moment for India

PNS | New Delhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday chaired a meeting of leaders from all parties on India’s presidency of the G-20 and sought their cooperation to make it a big success as the government highlighted its year-long programmes to mark the exercise.

G20 or Group of 20 is an intergovernmental forum of the world’s major developed and developing economies.

Some opposition leaders, including Sitaram Yechury and D Raja of the Left, noted that India taking over the presidency was by rotation and said it should not be projected as the government’s achievement, sources said.

Modi, in his speech, asserted that it was an occasion for the entire country to be proud of and everyone should contribute to its success, they added.

The prime minister had spoken on similar lines at a BJP meeting, saying that every citizen should be proud of the development.TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, who is also the West Bengal chief minister, said at the meeting that the G-20 presidency was not about one party’s agenda but of the entire country, sources said.TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao and JD(U) chief Lalan Singh did not attend the meeting.RJD also skipped the meeting.

In a statement highlighting Yechury’s comments at the meeting, the CPI(M) reiterated that India’s turn at the helm of the grouping is by the dint of a “rotating presidency”.

Opposition leaders’ comments are apparently aimed at countering the ruling BJP’s attempt to project the development as a major success for the government.