Yale Varsity turns Indian MPs into students

NEW YORK: It will be a different gathering of Indian Parliamentarians with no marshals to throw out unruly lawmakers and no zero hour to show their lung power.

The Speaker will be replaced by professors and the MPs will sit in the classroom taking notes and quiz, at a mock Indian Parliament being organised by America’s prestigious Yale University.

The 2011 cohort of 13 Indian lawmakers will be present at the New Haven campus of Yale University in Connecticut on 16 June to participate in a six-day leadership programme.

The event will be complemented by a three-day programme of meetings, discussions, and interactions in New York City.

Among the notable 2011 participants are Sachin Pilot, Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology; Manish Tewari, the official spokesperson for the All- India Congress Committee; and Rajiv Pratap Rudy, the official spokesperson for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).  Global political-economic affairs and the challenges of leadership are the focus of the 5th India – Yale Parliamentary Leadership Programme to be held 16 to 25 June.

Yale University, widely recognised for educating leaders in government, business, and civil society worldwide, launched the India-Yale Parliamentary Leadership Programme in 2007, in collaboration with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the India-US Forum of Parliamentarians.

The earlier India-Yale Parliamentary Leadership Programs were held in October 2007, June 2008, June 2009, and June 2010 respectively, with different delegations of Indian parliamentarians.

In total, more than 60 members of India’s Parliament will have participated since the programme was created five years ago.

The participation of the most visible spokespersons for the government and opposition underscores the programme’s emphasis on fostering discussion and dialogue across party lines.

The 2011 participants are drawn from seven different political parties.