Daijiworld Media Network - Hyderabad
Hyderabad, Nov 11: Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will present his vision for India and the world, including an alternative foreign policy approach, at the second Bharat Summit to be held in Hyderabad from November 12 to 14.
Gandhi will address the valedictory session on November 14, outlining a foreign policy vision based on principled multilateralism, strategic autonomy, peaceful coexistence and democratic values.
According to the summit's agenda paper, Gandhi's vision is of an India that speaks with moral clarity and strategic confidence, builds partnerships rather than lectures others, and takes the aspirations of the Global South to every platform where the world's future is discussed.
Organised by the Telangana government, the Bharat Summit is being projected as the first major international gathering of progressive leaders following significant electoral outcomes in Brazil, Hungary and Serbia. It is also being held immediately after the US midterm elections.
Described as a flagship Global South gathering, the summit seeks to honour the legacy of Afro-Asian solidarity and the Non-Aligned Movement, a tradition that India helped shape and which the organisers believe is relevant to the present global situation.
More than 1,000 delegates from 70 countries, including policymakers, political leaders, thinkers and changemakers, are expected to participate in the three-day event.
“Even in opposition, the Indian National Congress has brought together key voices from think tanks, progressive parties, multilateral institutions and governments across 70 countries to one table in Hyderabad — a reflection of its institutional depth, its long-standing global partnerships, and a party preparing, with policy rigour, for 2029 and beyond,” the agenda paper stated.
The summit will feature 12 international sessions and eight Telangana Rising sessions, covering reforms in multilateral institutions, South-South cooperation, peace in a new world order, a new economic deal for the world, climate justice, artificial intelligence, the future of media, youth, gender justice and democratic renewal.
The event will conclude with a Global South-Global North platform and the launch of the Our World Institute during the valedictory session.
The summit is being organised with the support of Indian Overseas Congress Chairperson Sam Pitroda and the Congress Foreign Affairs Department.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said safeguarding democracy, non-violence and non-alignment would be among the summit's primary objectives.
He said that just as Davos had emerged as a leading global platform for discussions on economic and investment policies, Hyderabad could become an international centre for shaping political, social and economic policies through the Bharat Summit.
Amid rising global violence, politics of hatred and divisive tendencies, the gathering was being organised to uphold and protect democratic values, he said.
Vikramarka also noted that the summit held special significance as it coincided with preparations for the 80th Independence Day celebrations and the birth anniversary of India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
IT and Industries Minister Duddilla Sridhar Babu and former Union Minister Salman Khurshid also addressed the press conference. They said Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence, Nehru's policy of non-alignment and his mixed economic model remained relevant not only for India but also for the world.
They said Nehru's vision was based on the principle that developing nations should preserve their independent identity and existence while navigating the influence of major global powers. His belief that India should progress through its own strength while providing leadership to progressive and developing nations had laid a strong foundation for the country, they added.
The Congress leaders also expressed concern over what they described as attempts in several countries to treat opposition parties as enemies and politically eliminate them and their leadership.
They said the summit would underline the need to safeguard every citizen's right to vote. The Congress strongly opposed attempts to disenfranchise eligible voters under the guise of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, they said, adding that the Election Commission and the government had a primary responsibility to ensure that every eligible citizen could exercise the franchise.
Telangana Congress chief Mahesh Kumar Goud, AICC Administration In-charge Gurdeep Singh Sappal, MP Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy and Samruddha Bharat Foundation Director Pushparaj Deshpande were also present at the press conference.