[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 87 (Thursday, June 21, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1176]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING THE SPEAKER OF THE PUNJAB STATE ASSEMBLY HONORABLE SARDAR 
                         CHARANJIT SINGH ATWAL

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                         HON. GEORGE RADANOVICH

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 21, 2001

  Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Honorable 
Sardar Charanjit Singh Atwal, Speaker of the Punjab State Assembly. Mr. 
Atwal has been a respected member in the Parliament of India for over 
20 years.
  Mr. Atwal visited the California Central Valley last year to attend 
the Commonwealth Speakers Convention, which includes Speakers from all 
over the world. In the fall of last year, Mr. Atwal also visited the 
Central Valley to meet with the local Sikh community. Mr. Atwal has 
been in the field of politics since 1957 and was first elected to the 
Punjab State Assembly in 1977. Sardar Atwal is a Dalit (Mazhabi Sikh) 
and a refugee from Pakistan who has risen from the grassroot worker's 
level to the top hierarchy of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal).
  Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the Honorable Sardar Charanjit Singh 
Atwal and his achievements for the Sikh community. I urge my colleagues 
to join me in praising Mr. Atwal's more than 40 years of service to the 
people of India.

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