Washington: Gandhi`s life was a testament to
invincibility of truth over injustice, a key US lawmaker said
on the occasion of the birth anniversary of the Father of the
Nation.
"On this day, I join the Indian-American community
and friends around the globe to remember and celebrate the
life of this fearless man who led a nation to gain
independence for his people from the British Empire," New York
Congressman, Joseph Crowley, said in his speech on the floor
of the House yesterday.
"Gandhi`s life was a testament to invincibility of
truth over injustice. When I despair, I remember that all
through history the way of truth and love has always won.
There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time
they seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall.
Think of it, always." he said.
Offering his best wishes to the millions of
Indian-Americans and to Indians around the globe on this
occasion, Crowley said Gandhi shaped modern India and has
continued to shape the world by inspiring some the greatest
leaders of the time.
"A champion for the rights of all people, he fought
apartheid in South Africa, colonial rule in India, and
oppression and injustice in all its guises. In doing so, he
has inspired our world`s greatest leaders from Nelson Mandela
to Cesar Chavez, Aung San Suu Kyi and Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr," he said.
"It was Dr. King who once said he owed his inspiration
to fight injustice to God and his method?nonviolent
resistance to Gandhi. The American civil rights movement, from
lunch counter sit-ins to the Montgomery County bus boycott,
was influenced by Gandhi`s foundational principle of
Satyagraha, or nonviolent civil disobedience," he said.
"Today, modern India is a leader as the world`s largest
democracy, among the world`s largest economies, and as
our close friend and ally. The US -India friendship remains a
growing and essential part of US foreign policy, and working
together our two countries are a powerful force for positive
change in the region and in the world," Crowley said.
PTI
