In early August, 2016, both houses of India’s parliament overwhelmingly passed a landmark Goods and Services Tax (GST) bill that brought India closer to a common market than ever before. The milestone came as the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi approached the close of the first half of its term in office and elections in India’s largest state, Uttar Pradesh, loomed in early 2017. To take stock of the current state of India’s politics, economics, and foreign policy, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace—in collaboration with the Georgetown University India Initiative and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)—hosted a wide-ranging discussion with three leading members of Parliament from across the political spectrum: Sushmita Dev, Baijayant “Jay” Panda, and Anurag Thakur. Carnegie’s Milan Vaishnav moderated.
This event was co-sponsored by the Georgetown India Initiative and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) and was hosted by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Sushmita Dev is a first-term Lok Sabha member of parliament from the Indian National Congress, representing the Silchar constituency in Assam.
Baijayant “Jay” Panda is a two-term Lok Sabha member of parliament from the Biju Janata Dal, representing the Kendrapara constituency in Odisha.
Anurag Thakur is a two-term Lok Sabha member of parliament from the Bharatiya Janata Party, representing the Hamirpur constituency in Himachal Pradesh.
Milan Vaishnav is senior associate in the South Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he works on the political economy of India.
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