Ed Royce: “I am a cosponsor of this resolution, but I think most of the resolutions that we deal with here in this Chamber that…”

“I am a cosponsor of this resolution, but I think most of the resolutions that we deal with here in this Chamber that come to this floor rightly focus on what is wrong throughout the world, whether it is the authoritarian regime of Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe or Kim Jong Il in North Korea. In this context, I think it is proper for the House to recognize positive developments, and in this case, that positive development is the vibrant democracy that is India. India adopted that Constitution on January 26 of 1950 that formalized her identity as a parliamentary democracy, and the framers of India's constitution were greatly influenced by our Founding Fathers. I had an opportunity to talk to one of those framers, and he made the point that many of the same freedoms that are enshrined in our Constitution are enshrined in theirs for a reason. So today, yes, India's the world's largest democracy and that is an impressive distinction. It is an incredible commitment when we think of 600 million people going and filing their ballots in a democratic election, but the other point I think that we are focused on tonight is the fact that it is India's growth as a world power that is creating a chance for peace and for stability in south Asia.”