Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday (October 26, 2026) said parliaments can help build trust and ease tensions between countries as he inaugurated the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum in New Delhi.
“Parliaments can play a special role” in strengthening mutual understanding and trust, reducing international tension and resolving global challenges peacefully, he said while addressing the gathering in Hindi.
The Speaker welcomed BRICS parliamentary delegates to Samvidhan Sadan, the old Parliament building, for the forum’s 20th anniversary. The Speaker lauded the unanimous joint statement adopted at the BRICS Heads of State meeting held here under PM Modi’s chairmanship. Separately, in a social media post, the Prime Minister’s Office highlighted a piece written by Mr. Birla about the role of the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum in strengthening dialogue and cooperation among member and partner countries. He highlighted that Mr. Modi championed BRICS expansion to amplify the voice of the Global South, leading to the New Delhi Declaration , which advocates for global governance reform and a multipolar world order.
Welcoming delegates to the historic Central Hall, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh said that given BRICS countries represent nearly half of the world’s population, it is a pivotal multilateral platform for global and regional cooperation.
