- Consensus on the 2023 New Delhi Declaration was reached on a golf course, said former G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant
- "We took the sherpas to a golf course, and that's where we got the settlement," Kant said
- "If it weren't for the golf course, India wouldn't have had a G20 consensus," he said
Former G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant today revealed that the consensus on the New Delhi Declaration in 2023 was reached on a golf course.
Speaking at the NDTV World Summit, where the NDTV Golf Pro-Am was launched, Kant said, "The best way to get a consensus is on the golf course. And you know, when we had all these challenges in the G20, we finally took the sherpas to the ITC golf course, and that's where we got the settlement. If it weren't for the golf course, India wouldn't have had a G20 consensus."
"That's how we got the final round of consensus with all the sherpas," he said during a panel discussion. Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) President and 1983 Cricket World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev was also a part of the panel.
India's chairmanship of the G-20 was perhaps most notable for securing an unexpected consensus among leaders, in particular on the contentious language related to Russia's war, but also on global action to combat climate change and on admitting the African Union as a full member of the group.
At a press briefing after the adoption of the declaration, Amitabh Kant said, "When we started the presidency, PM Modi said that India's presidency should be inclusive, decisive, and action-oriented. The New Delhi Declaration has 83 paras in all, and all 83 paras have 100 per cent consensus across all countries. There are eight paras on geopolitical issues titled 'Planet, People, Peace and Prosperity'. All those eight paras have 100 per cent consensus".
"All countries have unanimously supported the New Delhi Leaders Declaration. This is one declaration without a single footnote and without any Chair's Summary. This is a complete statement with 100 per cent unanimity," he added.
During the session at the NDTV World Summit, he also said that the maximum potential any sport in India has is golf.
"I have been in the government for 47 years, so I can figure out that the maximum potential any sport in India has is golf," he said.
"India is going to produce the top champions of the world. Our demographics are very young. Our average age is 28. So for the next 30 years, all the Tommy Fleetwoods of the world will come from India. All the top champions, the Tiger Woods, will all come from India in future," Kant said.
