[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 34 (Tuesday, March 24, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H1418-H1419]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             CONGRATULATIONS TO INDIA'S NEW PRIME MINISTER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my congratulations 
to the newly-elected leader of the world's largest democracy. Mr. Atal 
Behari Vajpayee was sworn in last week as the Prime Minister of India. 
India's Parliament will hold a confidence vote later this week on Prime 
Minister Vajpayee's new government. Pending the outcome of the 
confidence vote, the Prime Minister is poised to lead the world's 
second most populous nation into the 21st century.
  Mr. Speaker, the new Prime Minister is a veteran political leader in 
India who was once introduced by Prime Minister Nehru, India's first 
Prime Minister, as the future Prime Minister of India. He is a member 
of the party commonly referred to as the BJP, which has been described 
as a nationalist party. While some media accounts have portrayed the 
party in a negative light, Prime Minister Vajpayee has shown every 
indication of his intent to follow a moderate course. He has already 
reached out to India's neighbors, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, expressing 
the desire to build on recent efforts to foster friendlier relations 
among the nations of south Asia. In fact, the Prime Minister also 
intends to oversee the foreign affairs portfolio. During the 1970s Mr. 
Vajpayee served as Foreign Minister in a coalition government and won 
widespread praise for helping to reduce Indo-Pakistani tensions.

                              {time}  1915

  He has also indicated that he intends to stay the course on the free-
market reforms that have transformed India into one of the world's most 
dynamic emerging markets.
  Mr. Speaker, Prime Minister Vajpayee has also spoken of his 
commitment to maintain the secular principles of India's constitution.
  I had the opportunity to meet the new Prime Minister last year in New 
Delhi, then in his capacity as leader of the opposition in the 
Parliament. I also met with members of his shadow cabinet, many of whom 
will now assume the leadership of the various ministries.
  I found Mr. Vajpayee and his colleagues to be sincerely dedicated to 
building a better future for India's nearly 1 billion people, 
continuing the free-market reforms while better developing the nation's 
infrastructure.
  Given the negative characterizations of the BJP as a chauvinistic or 
fundamentalist party, I was impressed by the party's grassroots 
strategy of building alliances with regional parties representing 
India's many ethnic and religious groups.
  Perhaps most important, as a visiting Representative of the U.S. 
Congress, and by extension of the American people, I was very happy to 
hear of Prime Minister Vajpayee's strong desire to work for close ties 
between India and the United States.
  True, there have been some voices in India expressing concern about 
protecting India's culture from too much American or Western influence, 
but the leaders of India's new government have made it very clear, in 
my meeting with them and in the countless other forums, that they 
welcome U.S. trade and investment.
  In fact, BJP leaders often point out that their party was at the 
forefront of

[[Page H1419]]

calls to introduce free-market reforms in the Indian economy. This 
increased trade and investment translates into additional revenues for 
American companies and good jobs, I believe, for American workers.
  It also means the prospect of better opportunities for the people of 
India, a growing market for American goods and services, and a long-
term stability in a strategically vital region in the world. All in 
all, it is a win/win situation.
  Mr. Speaker, obviously the United States and India are not going to 
agree on every issue. There will undoubtedly be occasional diplomatic 
tiffs between our administration and the new BJP government. But the 
underlying relationship between the United States and India is based on 
shared values of democracy and a commitment to economic development.
  The people of India have spoken through elections in which more than 
300 million people participated. While no single party gained a 
majority in the Parliament, the BJP won a plurality and has been given 
this historic opportunity to form a government. As a legitimately 
elected head of government, Prime Minister Vajpayee deserves our 
respect.
  Expressions of congratulations have poured in from around the world. 
President Clinton called the Prime Minister, and the two leaders had a 
10-minute conversation that focused on continuing on the path of strong 
bilateral ties. I hope that those who have viewed the BJP in a critical 
or suspicious way in the past will join me in congratulating the Prime 
Minister and wishing him and his government well.
  I also wanted to point out that India's Parliament has elected as its 
Speaker G.M.C. Balayogi, a member of the TDP party. His election shows 
the BJP's willingness to form coalitions with other parties and to 
provide key positions of leadership for members of other parties.
  Mr. Speaker, many of our Members of the House, both on the Democratic 
and Republican side, are members of our Congressional Caucus on India. 
And we look forward to the new government's relations and improved 
relations between the United States and India, because we do believe it 
is very important to continue the strong ties and the closer 
relationships that have grown in the last few years between our two 
countries.

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