Frank Pallone: “this morning I want to join with the people of India and the Indian American community as we conclude a year of…”

“this morning I want to join with the people of India and the Indian American community as we conclude a year of celebrations in honor of the 50th year of Indian independence. The 51st anniversary of India's independence will actually occur on August 14th of this year, when Congress is in recess. So I wanted to take this opportunity today to mark this important occasion before my colleagues and the American people in this House. On August 14 of 1947, after years of determined and dignified struggle, the people of India finally gained their independence. That midnight hour, a vote by India's first Prime Minister, Nehru, in a stirring speech to the Parliament, marked the beginning of an inspiring effort by the people of India to establish a Republic devoted to the principles of democracy and secularism. In the 5 decades since then, despite the challenges of sustaining economic development while reconciling her many ethnic and religious and linguistic communities, India has stuck to the path of free and fair elections, a multiparty political system, and the orderly transfer of power from one government to a successor. Mr. Speaker, earlier this year, India once again demonstrated its continued commitment to democratic values through its parliamentary elections in which more than 300 million people voted. The 1998 elections were but the latest example of the vibrancy of the electoral process in the world's largest democracy.”