[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 1 (Monday, January 24, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E1]]



               THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF INDIA REPUBLIC DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FRANK PALLONE, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, January 24, 2000

  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 settled in the U.S. and 
around the world. January 26th is Republic Day, an occasion that 
inspires pride and patriotism for the people of India.
  Exactly one-half century ago, 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 and promoting tolerance and cooperation amongst its 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. And, 
despite external threats to its own security, India still remains 
committed to playing its rightful role as a major force for peace, 
stability and cooperation in Asia.
  Mr. Speaker, India's population was estimated, just before the 
beginning of the new millennium, to have reached and exceeded the truly 
remarkable milestone of one billion people, representing approximately 
one-sixth of the human race. In just a few years, India will be the 
most populous nation on earth. It is indeed very encouraging and 
inspiring that 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 it celebrated 
the 50th anniversary of its independence. But, many Americans remain 
largely unfamiliar with the anniversary that Indians celebrate on 
January 26th. 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.
  When Time magazine recently did its ``Person of the Century'' 
edition, Mahatma Gandhi was selected as one of two runners-up, along 
with President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, behind Albert Einstein. 
Essentially, the editors at Time recognized Gandhi as one of the three 
most influential and important people of the entire 20th century. 
Einstein himself believed that Gandhi was the greatest man of his time, 
and was quoted as saying: ``Generations to come will scarce believe 
that such as one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this 
earth.''
  Just last week, we paid tribute to one of our greatest American 
leaders, the Rev. 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. 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, DC, 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 and a symbol of U.S.-India friendship.
  Mr. Speaker, there is a growing need for India and the United States, 
the two largest democracies of the world, to work together on a wide 
variety of initiatives. India and the U.S. do not always agree on every 
issue. 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. In 1999, when Pakistani forces attacked 
positions on India's side of the Line of Control in Kashmir, I was very 
encouraged to see that the United States recognized that India was 
acting legitimately, in its self-defense, and that American pressure 
was brought to bear to convince Pakistan to call off its reckless and 
ill-advised attacks. I hope we can build on this progress in our 
bilateral relations, with the U.S. recognizing and respecting India's 
legitimate security needs. 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, in light of the increasingly 
important role India will play in world affairs in the 21st century.
  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. Most of the U.S. sanctions imposed on India in 1998 have been 
relaxed, and I will work towards the removal of the remaining 
sanctions. We must continue to work to preserve or re-start economic 
relations that have developed during the past decade, which witnessed 
such profound changes in our bilateral relationship, 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 provide the important human ``bridge'' 
between our the two countries.
  Republic Day is being observed in America, as well as in India. On 
Saturday, January 22, 2000, the Indian Americans of the National 
Capital Area held a Gala Banquet at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in 
Washington, DC, in honor of the Golden Jubilee Celebration of the 
Republic of India. On Wednesday, January 26, 2000, the Embassy of India 
in Washington will hold a reception to mark this great occasion.
  In closing, Mr. Speaker, let me again congratulate the people of 
India on the occasion of Republic Day. I hope that this new century 
will witness a U.S.-India relationship that lives up to the great 
potential offered by India's and America's shared commitment to 
democracy.

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