New Delhi: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi is honoured with ‘The Order of Excellence’, Guyana’s highest civilian honour, he is set to address a special session of the country’s Parliament on Thursday, marking yet another milestone in his global outreach.
This address will be the 14th occasion when PM Modi will speak on behalf of India in a foreign Parliament.
PM Modi holds the distinction of being the Indian Prime Minister with the highest number of addresses in foreign Parliaments. This happens to be double the number of addresses by former PM Manmohan Singh, who had addressed seven foreign Parliaments.
Indira Gandhi had addressed foreign legislatures four times, while Jawaharlal Nehru did it three times. Rajiv Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee delivered two such addresses while others like Morarji Desai and P. V. Narasimha Rao addressed foreign Parliaments only once.
PM Modi over the years has delivered speeches in legislative chambers across the Americas, Europe, Africa, Australia and Asia. His addresses, which transcend continents, are a testament to India’s growing influence on the global stage.
Among PM Modi’s previous addresses, he marked his presence in the joint session of the US Congress twice — in 2016 and then again in 2023.
In 2014, PM Modi addressed the Parliaments of Australia and Fiji.
In 2015, he addressed the British Parliament.
In Africa, PM Modi addressed the National Assembly of Mauritius in 2015 and the Parliament of Uganda in 2018.
In Asia, the Prime Minister addressed a joint session of the Bhutanese Parliament and Nepal Constituent Assembly in 2014, the Parliaments of Sri Lanka, Mongolia and Afghanistan in 2015, and the Parliament of Maldives in 2019.
–IANS