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India's ties with Fiji hailed

P.S. Suryanarayana

Somnath Chatterjee's stress on people-to-people contacts

Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee with the acting President of Fiji, Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi, at Nadi on Thursday. — Photo: PTI

SINGAPORE: Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee on Thursday hailed India's "special emotional bond" with Fiji and commended people-to-people contacts as the "bedrock" of friendship among nations. Mr. Chatterjee, now in Fiji to attend the ongoing conference of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), was speaking at a function in that country's second largest city, Lautoka.

In another event, he declared open a sub-centre of the Indian Cultural Centre in the same city. Present at this function, as a gesture to the large Indian community in the small Pacific nation, were Fiji's Acting President Joni Madraiwiwi and Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase.

Mr. Chatterjee said, at the function organised by the Fiji Grimit Council, that "the relations between India and Fiji go beyond the official and diplomatic formalities and are marked by a special emotional bond." This aspect of bilateral ties was "primarily brought about by the Indian community in Fiji." Emphasising India's sense of pride and joy over the feats of people of Indian origin all over the world, including in particular golfer Vijay Singh of Fiji and others, the Lok Sabha Speaker said "a country can be assured of steady progress if there is united effort by all sections of its people, without any discrimination or denial of right."

In a cordial meeting held in the town of Nadi, the Fijian Acting President and Mr. Chatterjee exchanged views on the democratic polities in both India and the Pacific nation, with particular reference to the functioning of the party system. With the CPA poised to choose a new Chairman of its Executive Committee on Friday, Mr. Chatterjee, who directed the campaign on behalf of India's candidate and West Bengal Speaker, Hashim Abdul Halim, rallied forces on Thursday at a "final strategy session" that went on until midnight.

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