Ayyanna Patrudu Visits Gandhi’s Phoenix Settlement Ahead of Commonwealth Conference

 Vijayawada: The 69th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference began in Cape Town, South Africa, with parliamentarians from across the Commonwealth discussing parliamentary practices, democratic values and cooperation among member countries.

AP Assembly Speaker Chintakayala Ayyanna Patrudu and Legislative Council Chairman Koyye Moshen Raju are representing the state as part of the Indian delegation. Rajya Sabha deputy chairman Harivansh, MPs Tenneeti Krishna Prasad and Daggubati Purandeswari are among the other members of the Indian delegation.

The conference provides a platform for legislators from Commonwealth nations to exchange views on parliamentary democracy, institutional functioning, democratic governance and legislative procedures. The participation of the AP representatives provides an opportunity to share the state’s legislative experience and interact with lawmakers from different jurisdictions.

Ahead of the conference, Ayyanna Patrudu visited the historic Phoenix Settlement at Inanda in Durban associated with Mahatma Gandhi’s early experiments with Satyagraha and Sarvodaya.

The Speaker paid homage at Sarvodaya House, the original residence of Mahatma Gandhi and Kasturba Gandhi, and visited the premises where Indian Opinion was printed. The publication played a role in Gandhi’s campaign against racial discrimination and injustice in South Africa.

Accompanied by legislature secretary-general Prasanna Kumar Suryadevara, Ayyanna Patrudu also visited the Kasturba Gandhi Primary School at the settlement and appreciated its efforts to promote value-based education and community uplift.

He was received by Kidar Ramgobin, son of veteran anti-apartheid activist and former MP Dr Ela Gandhi and great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi.

Ramgobin briefed the delegation on preservation efforts at the Phoenix Settlement and Pietermaritzburg Railway Station and the role of the Gandhi Trust.

The Speaker felicitated Ramgobin with a handwoven and hand-printed Kalamkari shawl from Pedana. He also presented an Etikoppaka handicraft.

Later, Ayyanna Patrudu visited India House in Durban at the invitation of consul general Nitin Subhash Yeola.