The annual Lakshman Kadirgamar Memorial Lecture was held at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies (LKI), hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sri Lanka, on 15 January 2018. The lecture was delivered by Hon. Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister for Law & Justice and Electronics & IT, India, on the theme ‘The Evolution of India’s Constitutional and Democratic Polity.’
The event commenced with the garlanding of a portrait of the late Hon. Lakshman Kadirgamar, and was followed by introductory remarks delivered by Hon. Tilak Marapana, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of LKI. In his remarks, Hon. Tilak Marapana remembered the late Minister as “a true gentleman who enjoyed the respect and admiration of his counterparts and leaders of foreign countries, and all those who had the privilege of meeting him.”
Hon. Ravi Shankar Prasad remarked that he was honoured to have been invited to deliver the prestigious Lakshman Kadirgamar Memorial Lecture which is held annually in memory of “one of the most outstanding intellectual, jurist and influential diplomats of his time.” Speaking of his admiration for the late Minister, Minister Prasad referred to him as “a towering figure in Sri Lankan polity” who was “a true friend of India.”
In his lecture, Minister Prasad highlighted the role of the judiciary in the evolution of the Indian constitutional and political journey. He noted that India’s Constitution is a great embodiment of the charter of democracy, stating, “India’s constitutional framework not only creates the architecture for governance, not only trusts ordinary Indians by giving them fundamental rights of Speech, Expression, Movement, Equality, Security of Life and Liberty but also the Right of Faith.” In his lecture, Minister Prasad also praised the role of the Election Commission of India in the consolidation of Indian democracy by highlighting its work in preventing violence and electoral malpractices.
As the Minister for Electronics & IT, Minister Prasad also spoke of India’s emergence as a global IT powerhouse, stating, “We opened 300 million bank accounts for those who did not have bank accounts; linked it with Aadhaar, seeded them mobile phones and started delivering their welfare entitlements directly into the bank accounts. In the process we have saved around USD 9 billion.” He also cited the success of India’s digital literacy programs, the initiative of developing ITeS and BPO centres in smaller towns in India, and digital services like eHospital, eScholarship, digital market for farmers and the soil health card.
Mrs. Suganthie Kadirgamar, wife of the late Hon. Lakshman Kadirgamar, in her vote of thanks, noted that the late Minister was a firm believer of democracy who stood for resolving differences by way of constitutional reform.
The high-profile event drew a diverse group of attendees, including Hon. R. Sampanthan, Leader of the Opposition in Parliament; Hon. Chief Justice Priyasath Dep; His Excellency Taranjit Singh Sandhu, the High Commissioner of India; members of the LKI Board of Management; as well as representatives from other missions, scholars from universities and think tanks, media, representatives from the private sector and civil society, and students.
Picture captions: (Above) Tilak Marapana, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of LKI delivering the introductory remarks and (below) Tilak Marapana, Minister of Foreign Affairs and (left) and Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister for Law & Justice and Electronics & IT, India
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