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In PHOTOS: When Congress, BJP exchanged notes

Last updated on: June 20, 2011 12:02 IST
Congress spokesperson Manish Tiwari with his BJP counterpart Rajiv Pratap Rudy at Yale Univesrity
The Congress and the Bahratiya Janata Party seemed to have made their peace in the United States. In a moment that photojournalists in India would die to capture, the Congress spokesman Manish Tiwari and counterpart from the BJP Rajiv Pratap Rudy were seen sharing a light moment at the New Haven campus of Yale University in Connecticut.

The war of words between the two often-sparring politicians is on hold at least for now, as the spokespersons exchange notes, quite literally, at the Yale University.

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When Congress, BJP exchanged notes

Last updated on: June 20, 2011 12:02 IST
Tiwari and Rudy interact during the leadership programme
Tiwari and Rudy are part of the 2011 cohort comprising 13 Indian lawmakers who are participating in a six-day leadership programme at Yale, which started on June 16.

The MPs turned students sat in a classroom taking notes and participating in quizzes at a mock Indian Parliament being organised by America's prestigious institution.

When Congress, BJP exchanged notes

Last updated on: June 20, 2011 12:02 IST
Rudy and Supriya Sule on the Yale University campus along with Rajya Sabha MP Piyush Goyal, Ramesh Chandran, executive director, India-US Forum of Parliamentarians, Bijayant (Jay) Panda, forum chairman and Pilot
Apart from Tiwari and Rudy, the other notable participants included Sachin Pilot, Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology; Supriya Sule, daughter of Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar and MP from Baramati, to mention a few.

The event will be complemented by a three-day programme of meetings, discussions, and interactions in New York City.

When Congress, BJP exchanged notes

Last updated on: June 20, 2011 12:02 IST
Tiwari, Pilot and Panda participate in a question-and-answer session
Global political-economic affairs and the challenges of leadership are the focus of the 5th India-Yale Parliamentary Leadership Programme. At Yale, the Indian MPs interacted with some of the best American academics.

The idea was to expose them to wider policy issues, to new leadership challenges and to rejig their own thinking outside the pressures and constraints of the legislative arena.

When Congress, BJP exchanged notes

Last updated on: June 20, 2011 12:02 IST
Yale President Richard C Levin delivers a lecture on the US economy after the crisis of 2008
The 13 Indian lawmakers that participated in the 2011 programme were drawn from seven different political parties. The participation of the most visible spokespersons for the government and opposition underscores the programme's emphasis on fostering discussion and dialogue across party lines.

"The programme will provide the parliamentarians with opportunities to critically think about the challenges of leadership and to explore freely, away from the legislative arena, the issues facing India," said Yale President Richard C Levin.

When Congress, BJP exchanged notes

Last updated on: June 20, 2011 12:02 IST
Visiting Indian parliamentarians pose for shutterbugs at Yale
The programme "has been widely appreciated by those of us serving in politics. The presentations and discussions cover a range of topics and ideas, by and with some of the top academics in the world, and the setting is excellent for vigorous but non-partisan exchanges of views," said parliamentary forum chairman Baijayant (Jay) Panda.

The earlier India-Yale Parliamentary Leadership Programs were held in October 2007, June 2008, June 2009, and June 2010 respectively, with different delegations of Indian parliamentarians. In total, more than 60 members of India's Parliament will have participated since the programme was created five years ago in collaboration with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the India-US Forum of Parliamentarians.