Examine the role of the Indian Parliamentary Group in projecting India's positions on gender equality and counter-terrorism in multilateral parliamentary forums.

The Indian Parliamentary Group (IPG) was formed in 1949 under a Constituent Assembly (Legislative) motion. It is India's National Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) [2]. It gives India a parliament-to-parliament channel that sits alongside executive diplomacy. India has used it more and more on two themes: gender equality and counter-terrorism.

Institutional basis

• The Speaker, Lok Sabha is the ex-officio President of the IPG. Official delegations need the Speaker's approval and are processed in consultation with MEA [2]. This keeps the IPG's positions in line with India's foreign policy.
• Aparajita Sarangi was elected to the IPU Executive Committee at Kigali (2022) by a two-thirds vote. This ended a gap of about 20 years since Najma Heptulla was IPU President (1999–2002) [3].

Projecting gender equality

• At the ExCom in 2023, India briefed members on the Naari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, which reserves one-third of seats for women in legislatures [3].
• At the 153rd Assembly (Arusha, 2026), Indian women MPs spoke in the Forum of Women Parliamentarians on disability rights and "Women Leadership" [1].
• This presents India as a democracy that is turning women's representation into law, not just a target.

Projecting counter-terrorism

• India holds a seat on the High-Level Advisory Group on Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism (HLAG-CTVE). Sumalatha Ambareesh was elected to it at Manama (2023) [3], and Lata Wankhede is on its Board at Arusha [1].
• Through the Asia-Pacific Geopolitical Group and the Asian Parliamentary Assembly [1], India keeps a zero-tolerance view of cross-border terrorism on the regional agenda.

Limitations

• IPU resolutions are not binding, and an MP's speech does not commit the Government of India.
• Continuity depends on MPs staying in office. IPG membership is open only to sitting MPs [2], and the 20-year ExCom gap shows how easily India's influence can fade [3].
• Assemblies meet only twice a year [2], so contacts made there can go cold in between.

The IPG has become a useful tool for India's soft power. It shows India's gender laws and its security concerns through the voices of elected MPs. To build on this, India should send the same MPs to the same IPU bodies over time and link this work closely with MEA. This would strengthen India's place in global democratic governance and support SDG 5 (gender equality) and SDG 16 (peace and strong institutions).