On May 30, 2019, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government led by Prime Minister Modi was sworn in after the NDA registered an unprecedented 350 seats in the Lok Sabha. The new government will undoubtedly continue to implement the various good policies that it initiated in 2014-2019. However, the ambition of building ‘New India’ will require deeper reforms in a variety of areas.

During the course of the elections, Dr. A Surya Prakash visited the states of Karnataka, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal to understand how the people were voting. He shared his impression and insight during two round table discussions held at the Vivekananda International Foundation, New Delhi.

Organised in the backdrop of Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016 and its implications, the Seminar delved into such issues as citizenship by illegal means, serious social tensions created by it, and the genuine fear of the Assamese losing their identities. It was considered that a well thought refugee law will institutionalize the whole process of migration even as it will safeguards our interest and must be evolved in India. The Bill therefore was a progress in the right direction.

In an endeavour to introduce foreign diplomats posted in India to the conceptual frameworks and thought processes in the light of India’s cultural moorings and traditions that go into crafting of foreign and security policies, 47 foreign diplomats were briefed on India’s foreign and security policies, cultural ethos and historical and civilizational roots that goes into forming India’s world view.