[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 97 (Thursday, July 10, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1389]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         COMMEMORATING INDIA'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF INDEPENDENCE

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                        HON. CHARLES E. SCHUMER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 9, 1997

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today and ask my colleagues to join 
with me today in commemorating the upcoming 50th anniversary of Indian 
independence.
  On August 15, 1947, India gained its freedom from British colonial 
rule and became an independent nation. The Indian peoples struggle for 
democracy mirrored very much our Nations' own experience. We share a 
kinship because we believed, then and now, in the same principals and 
notions of democracy for our citizens. India's great national leader, 
Mahatma Gandhi, studied American thinkers, such as Emerson and Thoreau, 
for their ideas, inspiration, and courage to press on with the struggle 
for democracy. And leaders in America looked to his example of 
nonviolence in guiding our Nation during its most turbulent civil 
rights period.
  On August 15, 1997, we celebrate half a century of democracy in India 
which has developed into the largest democracy in the non-Western 
world. This populous democracy is home to 950 million people and 
represents a true multiethnic state where 18 major languages and over 
100 dialects are spoken. Let us celebrate their commitment to human 
rights, the rule of law and the principals of peace, and the successful 
transition of power in that country's most recent parliamentary 
elections. It is clear to me, as it should be to all here today, 
India's democratic institutions remain quite strong and we can look 
forward to many more years of democratic growth and independence.

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