[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 9 (Tuesday, January 31, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E36]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             NEW REPORT SHOWS INDIA ENGULFED BY CORRUPTION

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                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 31, 2006

  Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to inform my colleagues about a 
new report written by Indian writer M.S. Rahi, PhD, entitled 
``Corruption and Its Effect on Social Life.'' As you know, we have 
recently been having some problems with corruption here in Washington 
as well, so the paper particularly caught my eye at this time.
  In it, Dr. Rahi exposes the massive corruption that has engulfed 
Indian government at all levels. Lately it has even begun to run 
through the judiciary, which had been the single semi-autonomous branch 
of government there and the single one that had shown even minimal 
concern for human rights. This is tragic for the people of India, as 
Dr. Rahi shows. He notes that India has been plagued with one 
corruption scandal after another, highlighting the Mundra, Bofors, 
Security Scam, Kargil Coffin Scam, Tehelka, and Recruitment Scam 
scandals by name. He notes that many of the lawyers practicing in 
Indian courts are the family members of the judges before whom they are 
practicing. He notes how Indian politics have been rigged to ensure 
dynastic succession, as the sons and daughters of Members of Parliament 
and of the Legislative Assemblies succeed them.
  He does not discuss one of the major Indian corruption scandals of 
recent times, the selling of government jobs in Punjab by the Badal 
government (labeled ``fee for service''), nor does he discuss the 
massive human-rights violations in India, except to make the very good 
and valid point that this kind of endemic corruption inevitably leads 
to human-rights violations. If the corruption can be cleaned, perhaps 
the human-rights violations will be reduced, something that we all 
desire.
  The latest scandal is that Sikhs who bought land in the new state of 
Uttaranchal Pradesh have had their farms taken away and they have been 
expelled. Sikhs are not permitted to buy property in Rajasthan or in 
Himachal Pradesh. Yet anyone can buy land in Punjab, the predominantly 
Sikh state.
  As you know, Mr. Speaker, over 250,000 Sikhs have been murdered in 
India. In addition, over 300,000 Christians in Nagaland, more than 
90,000 Muslims in Kashmir, tens of thousands of Muslims and Christians 
elsewhere in the country, and tens of thousands of Assamese, Bodos, 
Dalit ``untouchables,'' Manipuris, Tamils, and other minorities have 
been killed. Recently, the Bodos have threatened to end their truce 
with the Indian government.
  Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made a good first step by apologizing 
for the Delhi massacre of Sikhs in November 1984, but he has made no 
move to compensate the families of the victims nor to apologize for any 
of the Indian government's other atrocities and compensate those 
victims.
  Over 52,000 Sikhs are being held as political prisoners, along with 
tens of thousands of other minorities. The first step India must take 
is to release all political prisoners. And it must adopt stricter anti-
corruption laws to ensure that corruption will be held to a minimum and 
when it does occur, it will be punished. As Dr. Rahi reminds us, the 
impunity of corrupt officials and the impunity of the officials who 
commit these atrocities go hand in hand. Until basic human rights, 
including the right to buy property, live free of the threat of 
violence, and be safe from government corruption, are allowed to be 
enjoyed by all Indians, we must cut off our aid and trade. And we must 
put Congress on record in support of a free and fair plebiscite on the 
subject of independence in Punjab, Khalistan, in Nagaland, in Kashmir 
(as promised to the United Nations in 1948), and wherever people are 
seeking their freedom. The essence of democracy is the right to self-
determination and the people of these troubled regions will only escape 
the corruption and brutality when they are allowed to live in freedom.

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