[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 20, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E82-E83]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           INDIA REPUBLIC DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FRANK PALLONE, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 19, 1999

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of the 
most important dates on the calendar for the people of India, as well 
as for the people of Indian descent who have

[[Page E83]]

settled in the U.S. and around the world. January 26 is Republic Day, 
an occasion that inspires pride and patriotism for the people of India.
  On January 26, 1950, India became a republic devoted to the 
principles of democracy and secularism. At that time, Dr. Rajendra 
Prasad was elected as the nation's first president. Since then, despite 
the challenges of sustaining economic development while reconciling her 
many ethnic, religious and linguistic communities, India has stuck to 
the path of free and fair elections, a multi-party political system and 
the orderly transfer of power from one government to its successor.
  Mr. Speaker, India's population of nearly a billion people represents 
approximately one-sixth of the human race. The people of India have 
lived under a democratic form of government for more than half a 
century. In 1997, worldwide attention was focused on India as she 
celebrated the 50th anniversary of her independence. But, many 
Americans remain largely unfamiliar with the anniversary that Indians 
celebrate today. Yet, Mr. Speaker, it should be noted that there is a 
rich tradition of shared values between the United States and India. 
India derived key aspects of her Constitution, particularly its 
statement of Fundamental Rights, from our own Bill of Rights. India and 
the United States both proclaimed their independence from British 
colonial rule. The Indian independence movement under the leadership of 
Mahatma Gandhi had strong moral support from American intellectuals, 
political leaders and journalists. Just yesterday, we paid tribute to 
one of our greatest American leaders, Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King 
derived many of his ideas of non-violent resistance to injustice from 
the teachings and the actions of Mahatma Gandhi. Last year, Mr. 
Speaker, I am proud that legislation was approved by Congress and 
signed by the President authorizing the Government of India to 
establish a memorial to honor Mahatma Gandhi here in Washington, D.C., 
near the Indian Embassy on Embassy Row. The proposed statue will no 
doubt be a most fitting addition to the landscape of our nation's 
capital.
  Mr. Speaker, there is a growing need for India and the United States, 
the two largest democracies of the world, to come closer and work 
together on a wide variety of initiatives. India and the U.S. do not 
always agree on every issue, as we saw in 1998. But I regret that the 
scant coverage that India receives in our media, and even from our top 
policy makers, tends to focus only on the disagreements. In fact, our 
national interests coincide on many of the most important concerns, 
such as fighting the scourge of international terrorism and controlling 
the transfer of nuclear and other weapons technology to unstable 
regimes. Given India's size and long-term record of democratic 
stability, I believe that India should be made a permanent member of 
the United Nations Security Council--a goal that I hope the United 
States will come to support. India's vast middle class represents a 
significant and growing market for U.S. trade, while the country's 
infrastructure needs represent a tremendous opportunity for many 
American firms, large, small and mid-size. U.S. sanctions imposed on 
India last year have subsequently been relaxed, and I believe we should 
continue to work to preserve or re-start economic relations that have 
developed during this decade of major change, while creating a positive 
atmosphere for new economic relations. At the same time, I hope that we 
can continue to build upon educational, cultural and other people to 
people ties that have developed between our two countries. I look 
forward to seeing the Indian-American community, more than one million 
strong, continue to serve as a human ``bridge'' between our two 
countries.
  In closing, Mr. Speaker, let me again congratulate the people of 
India on the occasion of Republic Day. I hope that 1999 will witness a 
U.S.-India relationship that lives up to the great potential offered by 
our shared commitment to democracy.

                          ____________________