Dialogue Programme for Mark Hauptmann, MdB, and Mario Voigt, MdL

Prof. Dr. Mario Voigt, Member of State Parliament of Thuringia, and Mr. Mark Hauptmann, Member of the Bundestag, visited New Delhi for a dialogue programme with young politicians and members of Parliament, here together with Mr. Peter Rimmele, Resident Representative of KAS in India, Mr. Arun Thakur, Member of the Indian Parliament, and Mr. Astik Sinha of the BJP

From left to right: Mr. Peter Rimmele, Prof. Dr. Mario Voigt, Ms. Poonam Mahajan, Member of Parliament and head of the BJP’s youth organization BJYM, Mr. Mark Hauptmann, Ms. Charu Pragya, BJYM, and Mr. Pankaj Madan, KAS India

The German parlamentarians took part in a roundtable discussion with young politicians and alumni of the Konrad Adenauer School for Young Politicians (KASYP)...

...and discussed about current developments in German and Indian politics.

The participants of the roundtable discssion

Mr. Mark Hauptmann and Prof. Dr. Mario Voigt in conversation with Rajesh Menon, Deputy Director of CII, (right) and representatives of CII

Prof. Dr. Mario Voigt (left) and Mr. Mark Hauptmann (in the middle) in conversation with Mr. Sudhanshu Mittal (BJP)

The German parlamentarians and Mr. Peter Rimmele also met Meenakshi Lekhi, Memeber of Parliament of the BJP

Prof. Dr. Mario Voigt and Mr. Mark Hauptmann also met Rakesh Bakshi, an entrepreneur in the field of renewable energy

At a meeting with Anurag Thakur, Member of the Indian Parliament, they discussed possibilities to support young, aspiring politicians. Further, talks took place on a visit of Thakur’s electoral constituency in Himachal Pradesh by a delegation of German parliamentarians.

With Meenakshi Lekhi, Lok Sabha member and speaker of the BJP, Prof. Dr. Voigt and Mr. Hauptmann discussed current developments in international politics, especially the Brexit and relations with Russia. In addition, they showed great interest in the preparations for the upcoming electoral campaign in Mrs. Lekhi’s constituency, located in New Delhi.

Poonam Mahajan, Member of Indian Parliament and President of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the youth wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), explained to the delegates the current business environment for companies and start-ups in Mumbai. Additionally, it was discussed how an increased exchange between Germany and India can promote young enterprises and start-ups. She tentatively agreed to come to the Deutschlandtag of Junge Union in October in Kiel with some young politicians.

Together with young Indian politicians of the KAS–network as well as alumni of the Konrad Adenauer School for young Politicians (KASYP), Prof. Dr. Voigt and Mr. Hauptmann discussed in detail current political developments in India. One major topic was the role of media and what opportunities as but also risks the use of social media brings. Another debate was focused on options for increased cooperation between Germany and India. Both parliamentarians have a special connection to the KASYP-programme, as they have been available as trainers for young politicians since the programme’s launch.

Subsequently, the two Members of Parliament met with Rajesh Menon, Deputy Director of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), and other representatives of the CII. Besides the possibilities of further economic cooperation, the preparations for the third Indo-German Economic Dialogue taking place in June were the main topic of discussion.

Central to the talks with Sudhanshu Mittal, a Delhi based BJP politician, were the BJP’s electoral campaign strategies. Mittal explained extensively how the “electoral campaign machine” of the BJP works. He illustrated also that the BJP puts up a group for every polling station and that each member of the group receives one page of the freely accessible electoral register. It’s then that person’s task to convince the ten named people to vote for the BJP.

The concluding meeting with Rakesh Bakshi revolved around the topics of renewable energy and mobility. In focus was the question how in the future e-mobility in India can be promoted and an infrastructure for charging stations can be established. Prominent attendees were Ms. Shazia Ilmi, Spokesperson of the BJP, and Mahesh Giri, Member of Indian Parliament from BJP.