Study and Dialogue Programme for Professor Dr. Lammert and Dr. Wahlers in India
Event Reports
Upon their arrival, the German Ambassador Dr. Martin Ney informed the guests about the current state of Indo-German relations. The excellent state of the Indo-German bilateral cooperation was presented to both in a subsequent meeting with the Indian Foreign Secretary, Vijay Keshav Gokhale. A visit to the KAS India office was next. On this occasion, Prof. Dr. Lammert and Dr. Wahlers exchanged views with the Indian and German employees and delved into questions, observations and concerns as well as individual experiences while working at KAS. With Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways of India, the two KAS representatives discussed a variety of topics. Regarding Pakistan, Gadkari said that talks could only be resumed if Pakistan would cease its support for cross-border terrorism. When asked about BJP's chances in the upcoming parliamentary elections, Gadkari was of the opinion that despite the BJP being faced with the difficult situation wherein the opposition planned to campaign jointly against the party, he was still optimistic that the BJP would form the next government. In the evening, BJP Chief Whip in Lok Sabha and Member of Parliament (MP), Anurag Thakur, received Lammert and Wahlers for a dinner at his residence which was attended by several MPs from different party backgrounds.
On the following day, India's domestic political situation was of major interest and discussed with Congress politicians Jairam Ramesh, Member of Parliament and former Minister of Rural Development, and Vincent Pala, Member of Parliament and former Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs. In view of the growing populism in several countries, Professor Dr. Lammert elaborated that the attractiveness of simple answers to complex issues in Europe, the US and other countries was the main reason for the rise of populism and parties with rightist leanings.
A following meeting with the BJP-affiliated think tank India Foundation explained the status quo of current politics in India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had been known and praised beyond India for his economic reforms. By improving India’s infrastructure and introducing the Goods and Services Tax, India's prospering economy became increasingly attractive to foreign investors, also from Germany. Economic incentives in India were discussed in particular during the meeting with Suresh Prabhu, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Civil Aviation.
In the meeting that followed, a discussion with representatives of the German institutions in Delhi, DAAD, Goethe Institute, KfW and GIZ as well as the German political foundations ensued in which current work challenges in a changing political atmosphere were discussed. Afterwards, Indian students’ interest in German language and culture was demonstrated impressively to the guests during their visit to the Carmel Convent School. In a panel discussion, Professor Dr. Lammert discussed democratic core values with Indian and German students and the role of youth within a democracy. The discussions were conducted in German language.
Another highlight of the dialogue programme was in particular the meeting with India's former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. One focus of the exchange was the effects of the state election in Bavaria on the political situation in Germany. Afterwards, Archbishop Kuriakose Bharanikulangara, Bishop of Faridabad, elaborated on the current situation of Christian believers in India.
Following the 50th anniversary celebrations of KAS activities in India in Delhi in the evening of 17th October 2018 [Event report available on https://www.kas.de/veranstaltungsberichte/detail/-/content/herausforderungen-fur-die-demokratie-in-zeiten-der-globalisieru-1], the programme continued in Kolkata where the two KAS representatives first met for talks with Dinesh Trivedi, former Union Minister of Railways and former Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare. In addition, current challenges of living in India were discussed with representatives of the Indian Muslim population. Afterwards, the new bus for KAS India’s institutional partner "The Statesman Print Journalism School" (SPJS) was officially handed over to Subrata Nag Choudhury, Director of the SPJS, and Ravindra Kumar, Editor of the "The Statesman”, by Prof. Dr. Norbert Lammert. The Kolkata sector of the programme was rounded off by an exchange with Sister Prema Pierick, Superior General of the Missionaries of Charity of Kolkata. The KAS India office thanks Professor Dr. Lammert and Dr. Wahlers for their visit and the many intensive discussions with partners and friends of the Foundation, which marked the success of the past 50 years of KAS being active in India.
Provided by
Foundation Office India
About this series
The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, its educational institutions, centres and foreign offices, offer several thousand events on various subjects each year. We provide up to date and exclusive reports on selected conferences, events and symposia at www.kas.de. In addition to a summary of the contents, you can also find additional material such as pictures, speeches, videos or audio clips.