Political Quotes

“the people of India have just celebrated their 50th anniversary of independence and democracy. It takes a special effort for Americans to imagine when our democracy was only 50 years old and the great hurdles we had to overcome to perfect our legal, political, economic, and social system. India today is the world's largest democracy--950 million people. India is a multireligious, multiethnic society actively seeking to build a common national identity and overcome religious and ethnic conflict. In that half century India has struggled to overcome the legacy of feudalism followed by colonialism and all of the problems of underdevelopment and unequal development, including problems of population growth, capital formation, technology development, and infrastructure. They have shaped all of the basic institutions of a democratic system including, perhaps most significantly, many independent, nongovernmental institutions and organizations dedicated to involving and empowering people. I rise here today in support of aid to India.”