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New Delhi: Abhay Kumar Singh, Patna-born Deputat (MLA) in Kursk, Russia perfectly encapsulates the strong ties between India and Russia. Singh, who speaks Russian, English, Hindi, moved to Russia in 1991 to study medicine at Kursk State Medical University. In 2015, he joined President Vladimir Putin's party United Russia, and won provincial election in Kursk in 2018, becoming the first Indian-origin lawmaker in Russia. He was re-elected in 2022.
A 'deputat' in Russian politics is a deputy or member of the legislature, primarily referring to a member of the State Duma, which is the lower house of the Russian Federal Assembly. Deputies are elected representatives of the people, with 450 members in the State Duma serving five-year terms. They are responsible for creating laws. This is done through a process that involves introducing bills, debating them, and voting on their passage before they can be sent to the Federation Council for consideration.
In this sense, a Russian deputat and an Indian MLA are quite similar. They are both elected representatives in a sub-national legislative body, that is the state assemblies in India and the regional legislative assemblies in Russia. Both officials are also responsible for representing their constituents and creating local laws within their respective jurisdictions
Earlier this year in an interview to news publication Wion, Abhay Kumar Singh spoke about the strong ties between India and Russia. He said how, "After the independence of India and in Russia, after the Second World War. Our relationship is growing and growing....People of India love Russian; Russians also love Indian people".
With Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India on December 4-5 in context, Singh is an ideal representation of how ties between India and Russia have progressed and strengthened with time.
In regard to President Putin’s India visit and the agenda therein, Singh spoke about how India needs to buy S-500 batteries from Russia for the country’s radar system. He spoke of using these latest technologies rather than pre-existing S-400 batteries that India currently uses.
Making these remarks to India Today, Singh said, "S-400 is a very good missile system. But the S-500 is the latest technology, and it is being used in Russia only. Russia is not giving it to any other country. If Russia decides to supply it to India, India will become the first country to get it. Even China hasn't got this system. I think India should work to get the S-500 missile system. It will be a great achievement for India. Sukhoi-57 is also very good."
