[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 18]
[House]
[Pages 27104-27105]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



THE INDIAN AMERICAN FRIENDSHIP COUNCIL AND STRENGTHENING INDIA-AMERICA 
                                  TIES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 6, 1999, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I just want to take some of the time this 
evening before I yield to my colleague, the gentleman from California 
(Mr. Sherman), to talk about the activities of the Indian American 
Friendship Council.
  I noticed that the previous speaker, and I guess he is now in the 
Chair, I wanted to say that the gentleman from Florida (Mr. McCollum) 
who is now presiding over the House of Representatives as the Speaker 
was, with myself, the founder of the Indian American Caucus and the 
Indian American Friendship Council which the gentleman from California 
(Mr. Sherman) and I are about to talk about, and worked very closely 
with the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans from the 
beginning when it was founded to try to bring the United States and 
India closer together, and to also deal with some of the concerns and 
issues that the Indian-American community had here in the United 
States.
  One of the accomplishments that the gentleman from Florida (Mr. 
McCollum) made, and I am sure he is very proud of, is the fact that the 
Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans has grown now. It is 
actually the largest caucus in the House of Representatives. The 
gentleman's involvement with it from the very beginning was a very 
important part of its success.
  Let me say that not only do I appreciate the gentleman's 
contribution, but I know that the Indian-American community appreciates 
it a great deal. Whenever I go to any event whether there is an Indian-
American community, they constantly make reference to the fact that the 
caucus has been successful, what we have accomplished, and talk about 
the various things we have done.
  I just wanted to pay tribute to the gentleman as well this evening on 
another aspect of the many things the gentleman did during his career 
here in the House of Representatives.
  Let me say, the reason that the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Sherman) and I are talking specifically about the Indian American 
Friendship Council is because this session of Congress, which will 
close this evening here in the House, I think was one of the most 
successful Congresses in terms of trying to bring the United States and 
India closer together, and making not only our colleagues in the 
government but I think the American people in general aware of the need 
to increase warm relations between the United States and India.
  When I was about to get up this evening and mention the contributions 
of the Indian American Friendship Council, and I looked on their 
website, I noticed that the lead theme, if you will, was ``Bridging the 
world's two greatest democracies.'' That is what the Friendship Council 
is all about,

[[Page 27105]]

trying to bring the world's two greatest democracies together.
  Over the 7 or 8 years now that we have had the Congressional Caucus 
on India and Indian-Americans, I think we have accomplished a lot in 
that regard. If I go back 7 or 8 years, at that time many people I 
think both in India and in the United States thought of the two 
countries as not only not partners, but maybe even I would not say 
enemies, certainly, but maybe on opposite sides of the fence on many 
issues, whether it was the economy or the development of trade or 
security issues, or whatever.
  Certainly over that last 7 or 8 years we have accomplished a lot to 
change that, and the Indian American Friendship Council has played a 
role.
  I wanted to give particular thanks this evening to Dr. Krishna Reddy, 
the founder and still the president of the Friendship Council. One of 
the things that Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle 
certainly cannot forget is that every year in the summer, usually I 
think it is in July, the Indian American Friendship Council has a big 
event, basically a day-long conference, which concludes with a banquet 
in the evening where many Members of Congress participate.
  I think there is more participation by Members of Congress in that 
conference and in that banquet than any other event put on by the 
Indian-American community here in Washington.

                              {time}  1945

  It is because Dr. Reddy and the people involved in the Indian 
American Friendship Council who really go out of their way to make it 
clear that Congressmen and Senators are important, and that the only 
way, if you will, that we can accomplish the goals of bringing the 
United States and India closer together is by having the community work 
with Congress and work with their Members of Congress to accomplish 
that goal and to basically say what their concerns are.
  I went through again the Web site of the Friendship Council, and I 
saw a list of about 10 goals that the Friendship Council tries to 
achieve, and every one of these is, I think, very significant in terms 
of U.S.-India affairs, as well as the role of the Indian American 
community.
  I just wanted to, if I could, very quickly list these. The goals 
basically say, and the first one is to forge better overall ties with 
an emerging power that is the world's largest democracy, better ties 
within the United States and India. That is in general.
  Second, to give concrete expression to our shared democratic values 
and our interests in strengthening evolving democracies. What they mean 
by that is that the council has played a major role in getting the 
Indian American community involved in government, involved in civic 
affairs, whether that means registering to vote, getting out to vote, 
or working for candidates, or lobbying in a positive way in Washington 
or a State capital for candidates.
  The third goal is to urge Indian progress towards global 
nonproliferation and security norms; very important, and not an easy 
task, because we know that with the detonating of nuclear weapons or 
the testing, I should say, of nuclear weapons in India a few years ago, 
there was a major concern about whether India will continue on the path 
towards nonproliferation.
  The council has made it clear that that is the path that both the 
Indian government, the U.S. Government and all governments should 
proceed down. Nonproliferation is a goal. I commend the Friendship 
Council for having that goal.
  Fourth is to maximize our partnership and trade investment and 
information technology exchanges with one of the world's largest 
economies, and one of the world's largest middle classes. We do not 
even need to comment on that one. Obviously, there has been a 
tremendous growth in trade between our two counties. There are 
tremendous opportunities in the information technology field. Indian 
Americans have played a major role obviously in the information 
technology field here in the United States as well as in India.
  Next is to broaden and deepen our relations with the world class 
Indian players in the vital area of information technology. Again, we 
have explained that, and, furthermore, to enhance our joint efforts on 
urgent global issues including terrorism and narcotics.
  When President Clinton went to India in March, and in that historic 
visit, which the council had been urging for a long time and Dr. Reddy 
have been preparing the way for for a long time, one of the major 
issues that was addressed was terrorism. And it was also addressed when 
Prime Minister Vajpayee came here to the United States before the House 
of Representatives in September, and significant progress has been made 
between the two countries on the goal of trying to get rid or trying to 
address international terrorism.
  And another goal was team up to protect the global environment with 
clean energy and other initiatives where Indian leadership is 
essential. When I was in India with the President in March, we made 
some major progress with regard to environmental concerns.
  We were at a hotel next to the Taj Mahal when an agreement was signed 
between the United States and India to try to improve the environment, 
to improve access to energy. And, again, the Friendship Council had 
been in the forefront of trying to stress the environmental and energy 
needs and the fact that our two countries, one, the United States, 
being the leader in the developed world and the other, India, being a 
leader in the developing world on these environmental and energy 
issues.
  Finally is to join hands in the global campaign against polio, HIV/
AIDS and other public health problems. Dr. Reddy, himself, is a 
dentist. He is very concerned about public health. He has been honored 
by the Indian government and by other organizations here in the United 
States, because of his concern, his public health concerns; and 
obviously, this is another area where the Friendship Council has been 
playing a major role and many members of the Indian caucus have taken 
the leadership in trying to improve the public health environment in 
India.
  Let me just say that I just want to conclude my portion, if you will, 
of the Special Order by saying that I really admire the work of Dr. 
Reddy and the Indian American Friendship Council. I know that many of 
my colleagues do.
  This is a bipartisan organization that works with Democrats and 
Republicans and certainly will continue to do the excellent job they do 
in the next Congress.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance to the gentleman from California 
(Mr. Sherman).

                          ____________________