Eva M. Clayton: “Once again Mr. Burton seeks to treat our friends in India in an unfair and unjust manner. The House should reject this…”

“Once again Mr. Burton seeks to treat our friends in India in an unfair and unjust manner. The House should reject this ageless exercise by our colleague. This, like all the others over the years, is an ill-advised amendment. This Burton Amendment, which would prohibit development assistance to India, is a step in the wrong direction. The Government of India has consistently been moving at a rapid pace to strengthen its ties with the United States and the World. The economic and diplomatic relationship between the United States, the world's oldest democracy, and India, the world's largest democracy, can only be hurt by successful passage of this Burton amendment. We can not and must not ignore the important progress and mutual benefit we have achieved in recent years. The Government of India has been on a constant pace of change, for the last decade. Recent elections have featured world record voter turnout, essentially free of violence. Mr. Burton, as usual, claims that human rights violations are taking place in India. That claim is not supported by the facts. As Members of Congress, we must be very careful not to view the Government of India as being callous to these alleged human rights violations. India has made great strides in their battle to bring its various and diverse interests together. Indeed, recent reports by the U.S. State Department declare that India continues to make notable and important progress with its human rights problems.”