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BJP TODAY

May 16--31, 2003 - Vol. 12, No. 10

Venkaiah Naidu's Mauritius visit further strengthens Indo-Mauritius relations

Hon'ble Shri Venkaiah Naidu, Member of Parliament and President of Bharatiya Janata Party, visited Mauritius from April 11-14, 2003 as the leader of Indian Parliamentary delegation, invited by Rt. Hon'ble Sir Anerood Jugnauth, Prime Minister of the republic of Mauritius and the Leader of local Mouvement Socialist Mauricien (MSM) Party, major partner of the Mauritian ruling alliance, on its 20th anniversary. The occasion assumed special significance as the legendary leader of the Party and present Prime Minister Rt. Hon'ble Sit Anerood Jugnauth handed over the reins of the Party to his son and rising young leader Hon'ble Mr. Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, also holding the responsibility of the Minister of Agriculture, Food Technology and Natural Resources, in the Mauritian Government. Sir Anerood Jugnauth is the founder of the MSM Party and had led it since its inception. As the leader of the Party and also as Prime Minister, he steered the Party and the country through difficult times, to new heights of glory and prosperity.

2. Keeping up with the traditions of the unique friendship between these two countriers, India was among the few countries to be honoured by this party-to-party invitation. The other member of the delegation was Smt. (Dr.) Anita Arya, Member of Parliament, LOK Sabha, and General Secretary of The Bharatiya Janata Party. The congress Party was represented by the veteran leader and well-known Hindi poet. Hon'ble Shri Balkavi Bairagi, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha.

3. Shri Naidu and his delegation was given a red carpet welcome at all levels - at Party levels, at the level of the Mauritian government and Parliamentary level and also by the socio-cultural organisations of the People of Indian Origin, which constitute two-third of the local population - fitting well with our people-to-people umbilical relationship.

4. At Party level, Shri Naidu, along with the delegation, attended the grand MSM function. The new leader of the Party Mr. Pravind Kumar Jugnauth hosted a dinner in their honour. Hon'ble Mr. Paul Raymony Berenger, Deputy Prime Minister and the leader of the other major constituent of the ruling alliance hosted lunch for them. Hon'ble Mr. Berenger will become the Prime Minister, Sir Anerood Jugnauth, the President of the Republic and Hon'ble Mr. Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, will become Deputy Prime Minister in September 2003, as per the electoral arrangement in the last Parliamentary elections of these two parties. Invitation to Indian Parliamentary delegation and intense and cordial discussion assumes very special significance at this juncture. Cutting across Party lines, the Indian delegation also called on Hon'ble Dr. Navin Rangoolam, former Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition Labour Party and had a very cordial interaction.

5. At Government level, Hon'ble Shri Naidu and the delegation called on H.E. Mr. Karl Augustc Offmann,President of the Republic of Mauritius and H.E. Mr. Abdool Raouf Bundhun, Vice President of the Republic of the Mauritius. They also called on the Prime Minister Rt. Hon'ble Sir Anerood Jagnauth and Deputy Prime Minister Hon'ble Mr. Paul Raymond Berenger. The meetings were held in very cordial atmosphere and the insight and deep commitment towards the Indo-Mauritius friendship of the Hon'ble President of Bharatiya Janata Party was deeply appreciated by all. During the call on Prime Minister Sir Anerood Jugnauth, Shri Naidu conveyed that India and Mauritius shared the same traditions and value system and is keen to maintain the special relationship with Mauritius. During the call on Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Paul Raymond Berenger, DPM Berenger asked Shri Naidu to convey his regards to respected Pradhan Mantri ji and told that he is looking forward to the visit of Hon'ble Up Pradhan Mantri ji to Mauritius. DPM also stated that the special relationship with India would continue even during his Prime Ministership. The Indian leader called on Hon'ble Mr. Premanth Ramnah, Speaker of the Mauritian National Assembly, who also hosted a lunch in their honour. During the meeting, the Hon'ble Speaker asked Shri Naidu to convey his regards to the Hon'ble Speaker Shri Joshi and told that he is looking forward to his visit to Mauritius. He also recalled the special ties of blood and kinship between India and Mauritius and appreciated that the same is also reflected tin the Parliamentary relationship between the two countries.

6. Hon'ble Shri Naidu laid the foundation stone of a Shiva Temple of Telugu community at Curepipe. He was also given a warm reception by Telugu Cultural Centre Trust and Andhra Maha Sabha, the apex body of sizeable Telugu community (5 percent of total population). The delegation was given a civic reception at Arya Sabha, Mauritius at Port Louis. Arya Sabha is one amongst the most prominent socio-cultural PIO Organisations with well-knit network, spread over the grassroots. They were given another reception at Triolet, the culturally rich northern region of the country. Shri Naidu and the delegation also attended 112th Birth Anniversary function of the Baba Saheb Ambedkar. The awareness of Mauritian people, living six thousand kilometers away from the land of ancestors, about the pivotal importance of the father of Indian Constitution and the greatest champion of social justice in India, is a pleasant feeling shared by both the countries. Shri Naidu and the delegation also visited Ganga Talao - the most revered religious shrine of Mauritius, symbolic of the deep religious and cultural bonds between our countries.

7. The delegation also visited Human Service Trust established by Swami Krishnanand, the great exponent of Indian Culture. Human Service Trust is a prominent landmark of socio-cultural activities. The trust is being managed by Mr. Dhandeo Bauhadoor, an internationally renowned figure of Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) leading the PIO activities Mauritius.

8. During his extremely busy schedule, Shri Naidu spared time to meet some more member of socio-cultural organisations, and also to inaugurate the lecture theatre of SSR Medical College the only Medical College in Mauritius. On this occasion, the SSR Medical College gifted a CT Scan machine costing 1.5 crore Rupees to the Government-owned Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital. The machine was presented to the hospital authorities by Hon'ble Shri Naidu, in tune with the tradition of Indian assistance in modernizing Mauritius in all spheres. Ho also spared time to visit Indian Naval Ship 'Sharda, and enthused the Naval staff'.

9. The insight and erudition, infectious cordiality and bubbling enthusiasm of Shri Naidu won many hearts during this hectic but extremely successful visit. The delegation contributed a lot in further fostering the people-to-people relationship. The visit, at a very historical juncture, would have many far-reaching positive implications and has further strengthened the bonds of our bilateral friendship.

(Courtesy, Indian High Commission, Port Louis)