[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 136 (Friday, October 2, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1886]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


       INDIAN PRIME MINISTER'S APPEARANCE MET WITH LARGE PROTEST

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 2, 1998

  Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee 
went to the United Nations in New York last week. He was met by about 
200 protestors, mostly Sikhs, Kashmiri Muslims, and others, who were 
there to protest Indian nuclearization of South Asia and demand freedom 
for their people. This protest did not get as much coverage in the 
media as you might have expected under normal circumstances, so it is 
appropriate to take note of it here.
  The demonstration was led by Sikh youth in the New York area and the 
President of the Richmond Hill (N.Y.) Gurdwara. The demonstrators 
shouted slogans against Indian nuclear-weapons development. They also 
shouted slogans like ``India stop genocide'' as well as slogans for 
Sikh independence.
  In a flyer circulated at the demonstration, the organizers wrote that 
``Vajpayee's government is responsible for plunging South Asia into a 
nuclear arms race. They are taking India towards a bloody confrontation 
with neighboring countries that could involve the entire world.''
  India has recently deployed its Agni and Prithvi missiles in Punjab, 
Khalistan. Some of these missiles are capable of reaching parts of the 
United States. This deployment greatly increases the likelihood of war 
in South Asia, a war we now know can easily become nuclear.
  The Indian government has also practiced genocide against the 
minorities it rules. It has murdered over 250,000 Sikhs since 1984, 
more than 200,000 Christians in Nagaland since 1947, almost 60,000 
Muslims in Kashmir since 1988, and ten of thousands of Assamese, 
Manipuris, Tamils, Dalits, and others. The government paid thousands of 
cash bounties to police officers who killed Sikhs!
  This is why the organizers wrote that ``the Indian government's main 
mission is Hindu, Hindi, Hindustan. There is no room for Muslims, 
Sikhs, Buddhists, or Christians. A religiously intolerant government 
can never be democratic.''
  While India pursues this undemocratic, imperialist objective, it 
takes the average Indian worker three days' pay just to buy a box of 
Corn Flakes. Half the population of the country lives below the 
international poverty line, which is substantially lower than the U.S. 
poverty line. Yet America officially supports this repressive, 
hegemonic country. We must be a beacon for freedom in South Asia.
  Mr. Speaker, the United States must codify the sanctions now in place 
against India. We must stop providing aid to this repressive regime. 
And finally, we must put this Congress on record in support of a free 
and fair plebiscite in Punjab, Khalistan and in Kashmir--the latter in 
accord with India's 50-year-old promise to the United Nations.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh, President 
of the Council of Khalistan, for bringing this event to my attention. I 
would also like to insert the Burning Punjab article on the 
demonstration and the flyer from that event into the Record for the 
information of my colleagues. I hope that this information will help 
make it clear to us all just what kind of country India really is.

             [From the Burning Punjab News, Sept. 26, 1998]

Sikhs and Others Hold Large Protest Against Indian Prime Minister's UN 
                                 Visit

                         (By Atam Inder Singh)

       New York.--A large numbers of Sikhs came to the United 
     Nations in New York on Thursday to protest the appearance of 
     Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. In addition, 
     Kashmiri Muslims and other victims of Indian tyranny 
     protested simultaneously. Protestors distributed a large 
     number of flyers to passers-by. They shouted slogans of 
     ``India stop genocide,'' and ``Raj Kare Ga Khalsa'', as well 
     as slogans against Indian nuclear weapons development. Agni 
     and Prithvi missiles have been deployed in Punjab. The flyer 
     pointed out that ``Vajpayee is the leader of the BJP, the 
     militant Hindu fanatic party in India, and is the head of a 
     repressive, fascist government that oppresses its minorities 
     and is unfriendly to the United States.'' The flyer said that 
     ``Vajpayee's government is responsible for plunging South 
     Asia into a nuclear arms race. They are taking India towards 
     a bloody confrontation with neighboring countries that could 
     involve the entire world,'' it said. The flyer took note of 
     the deployment of Agni and Prithvi missiles in Punjab, of its 
     support of the nuclear efforts of rogue states like Iraq, and 
     of the murders of large numbers of minorities living under 
     Indian rule. The Indian government has eliminated large 
     numbers of Sikhs since 1984, over 200,000 Christians in 
     Nagaland since 1947, almost 60,000 Kashmiri Muslims since 
     1988, and tens of thousands of Assamese, Tamils, Manipuris, 
     Dalits, and others. ``The Indian Government's main agenda is 
     Hindu, Hindi, Hindustan,'' the flyer said. ``There is no room 
     for Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists, or Christians. A religiously 
     intolerant government can never be democratic,'' it said. 
     ``On behalf of the Sikh Nation, I salute the organizers of 
     this demonstration, especially Gurpreet Singh and the 
     President of the Richmond Hill Gurdwara, Mr. Balwinder Singh 
     Cheema,'' said Gurmit Singh Aulakh, President of the Council 
     of Khalistan, the organization that leads the peaceful, 
     democratic, nonviolent struggle to free the Sikh Nation. 
     ``This effort was mostly done by the educated Sikh youth,'' 
     he added.


     
                                  ____
                  Protest Against Nuclear Arms Buildup

       The American Sikh community and its supporters are 
     gathering at the United Nations on September 24th 1998, to 
     protest the visit of the Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari 
     Vajpayee. Mr. Vajpayee is the leader of the BJP, the militant 
     Hindu nationalist party in India, and is the head of a 
     repressive, fascist government that oppresses its minorities 
     and is unfriendly to the United States:
       Mr. Vajpayee's government is responsible for plunging 
     Southeast Asia into a Nuclear arms race. They are taking 
     India towards a bloody confrontation with neighboring 
     countries that could involve the entire world. Earlier this 
     year, two members of the BJP publicly called for Pakistan to 
     become part of India.
       The Indian government has deployed its Agni and Prithvi 
     missiles in Punjab, Khalistan greatly increasing the 
     likelihood of war and putting the lives of Sikhs and other 
     minorities at risk.
       Indian has provided heavy water to Iran and is now working 
     closely with Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq. India votes 
     against the United States at the United Nations more often 
     than any other country except Castro's Cuba. India publicly 
     supported the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
       The Indian government's main agenda is ``Hindu, Hinda, 
     Hindustan (India)''. There is no room for Muslims, Sikhs, 
     Buddhists, for Christians. A religiously intolerant 
     government can never be democratic.
       The government made every effort to disrupt the first 
     meeting of the Punjab People's Commission, which was set up 
     to investigate human-rights violations at Punjab. They 
     cancelled the reservation the commission had for meeting 
     space and tried to influence other facilities not to grant 
     them space. The People's Commission issued citations to 90 
     police officers and now has received 3,000 more cases. The 
     Indian government has spent over 20 million Rupees in legal 
     fees to protect the police officers that have carried out 
     these atrocities.
       On July 23, Indian police arrested human-rights activist 
     Jaspal Singh Dhillon and his attorney on a false charge. 
     Dhillion worked with Jaswant Singh Khalra on his report which 
     showed that the police abducted, tortured, and murdered tens 
     of thousands of Sikh youth, then declared their bodies 
     ``unidentified'' and cremated them, a policy the Indian 
     Supreme Court called ``worse than a genocide.''
       In August, it was reported that death squads from the 
     Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) are going into villages 
     in the Faridkot district of Punjab and murdering villagers.
       To date, Amnesty International and other Human Rights 
     organizations have been denied access to Punjab to witness 
     for themselves the atrocities that the Sikhs are suffering.
       Please join us and raise your voice to condemn Nuclear 
     India and support human rights for Sikhs and all minorities 
     in India.



     

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