WE ALL ARE VERY HAPPY AND ENTHUSIASTIC REGARDING OUR GLOBAL LEADERSHIP
STEP HAS BEEN LAUNCHED BY OUR BELOVED PRIME MINISTER OUR OBJECTIVE TO
VISUALIZE THE PATH OF DEVELOPMENT IN ALL SECTOR BY KEEPING IN OUR MIND
OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT , IN AMERICA CAN HELP US IN ALL TYPE OF
TECHNOLOGICAL ASPECTS INDIA INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT DURING LAST VISIT
OF PRESIDENT OF AMERICA HE HAS SHOWN HIS INTEREST IN FOOD SECURITY
,INSTITUTIONAL REFORMS IN TRANSITIONAL ECONOMY OF INDIA , WE HOPE OUR
PRIME MINISTER WILL COMMAND ON ALL THOSE THINGS AND HE WILL BOOST UP
AND MOU WITH AMERICANS AND INDIAN -AMERICANS , AS WE CAN THE THE SHRI
OBAMA JI SPEECH AT INDIAN PARLIAMENT.
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
November 08, 2010
Remarks by the President to the Joint Session of the Indian Parliament in New Delhi, India
Parliament House, New Delhi, India
5:40 P.M. IST
THE PRESIDENT: Mr. Vice President, Madam Speaker, Mr. Prime
Minister, members of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, and most of all, the
people of India.
I thank you for the great honor of addressing the
representatives of more than one billion Indians and the world’s largest
democracy. (Applause.) I bring the greetings and friendship of the
world’s oldest democracy —- the United States of America, including
nearly three million proud and patriotic Indian-Americans. (Applause.)
Over the past three days, my wife Michelle and I have
experienced the -- and dynamism of India and its people -- from the
majesty of Humayun’s Tomb to the advanced technologies that are
empowering farmers and women who are the backbone of Indian society;
from the Diwali celebrations with schoolchildren to the innovators who
are fueling India’s economic rise; from the university students who will
chart India’s future, to you —-leaders who helped to bring India to
this moment of extraordinary promise.
At every stop, we have been welcomed with the hospitality for
which Indians have always been known. So, to you and the people of
India, on behalf of me, Michelle and the American people, please accept
my deepest thanks. (Applause.) Bahoot dhanyavad. (Applause.)
Now, I am not the first American President to visit India.
Nor will I be the last. But I am proud to visit India so early in my
presidency. It’s no coincidence that India is my first stop on a visit
to Asia, or that this has been my longest visit to another country since
becoming President. (Applause.) For in Asia and around the world,
India is not simply emerging; India has emerged. (Applause.)
And it is my firm belief that the relationship between the
United States and India -— bound by our shared interests and our shared
values -— will be one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century.
This is the partnership I’ve come here to build. This is the vision
that our nations can realize together.
My confidence in our shared future is grounded in my respect
for India’s treasured past -— a civilization that’s been shaping the
world for thousands of years. Indians unlocked the intricacies of the
human body and the vastness of our universe. It’s no exaggeration to
say that our Information Age is rooted in Indian innovations —-
including the number zero. (Applause.)
Of course, India not only opened our minds, she expanded our
moral imaginations -- with religious texts that still summon the
faithful to lives of dignity and discipline, with poets who imagined a
future “where the mind is without fear and the head is held high” --
(applause) -- and with a man whose message of love and justice endures
-— the father of your nation, Mahatma Gandhi. (Applause.)
For me and Michelle, this visit has, therefore, held special
meaning. See, throughout my life, including my work as a young man on
behalf of the urban poor, I’ve always found inspiration in the life of
Gandhiji and his simple and profound lesson to be the change we seek in
the world. (Applause.) And just as he summoned Indians to seek their
destiny, he influenced champions of equality in my own country,
including a young preacher named Martin Luther King. After making his
pilgrimage to India a half-century ago, Dr. King called Gandhi’s
philosophy of non-violent resistance “the only logical and moral
approach” in the struggle for justice and progress. (Applause.)
So we were honored to visit the residence where Gandhi and
King both stayed —- Mani Bhavan. And we were humbled to pay our
respects at Raj Ghat. And I am mindful that I might not be standing
before you today, as President of the United States, had it not been for
Gandhi and the message he shared and inspired with America and the
world. (Applause.)
An ancient civilization of science and innovation; a
fundamental faith in human progress -- this is the sturdy foundation
upon which you have built ever since that stroke of midnight when the
tricolor was raised over a free and independent India. (Applause.) And
despite the skeptics who said this country was simply too poor, or too
vast, or too diverse to succeed, you surmounted overwhelming odds and
became a model to the world.
Instead of slipping into starvation, you launched a Green
Revolution that fed millions. Instead of becoming dependent on
commodities and exports, you invested in science and technology and in
your greatest resource —- the Indian people. And the world sees the
results, from the supercomputers you build to the Indian flag that you
put on the moon.
Instead of resisting the global economy, you became one of its
engines —- reforming the licensing raj and unleashing an economic
marvel that has lifted tens of millions of people from poverty and
created one of the world’s largest middle classes.
Instead of succumbing to division, you have shown that the
strength of India —- the very idea of India —- is its embrace of all
colors, all castes, all creeds. (Applause.) It’s the diversity
represented in this chamber today. It’s the richness of faiths
celebrated by a visitor to my hometown of Chicago more than a century
ago -— the renowned Swami Vivekananda. He said that, “holiness, purity
and charity are not the exclusive possessions of any church in the
world, and that every system has produced men and women of the most
exalted character.”
And instead of being lured by the false notion that progress
must come at the expense of freedom, you built the institutions upon
which true democracy depends —- free and fair elections, which enable
citizens to choose their own leaders without recourse to arms --
(applause) -- an independent judiciary and the rule of law, which allows
people to address their grievances; and a thriving free press and
vibrant civil society which allows every voice to be heard. This year,
as India marks 60 years with a strong and democratic constitution, the
lesson is clear: India has succeeded, not in spite of democracy; India
has succeeded because of democracy. (Applause.)
Now, just as India has changed, so, too, has the relationship
between our two nations. In the decades after independence, India
advanced its interests as a proud leader of the nonaligned movement.
Yet, too often, the United States and India found ourselves on opposite
sides of a North-`South divide, estranged by a long Cold War. Those
days are over.
Here in India, two successive governments led by different
parties have recognized that deeper partnership with America is both
natural and necessary. And in the United States, both of my
predecessors —- one a Democrat, one a Republican -— worked to bring us
closer, leading to increased trade and a landmark civil nuclear
agreement. (Applause.)
So since that time, people in both our countries have asked:
What’s next? How can we build on this progress and realize the full
potential of our partnership? That’s what I want to address today —-
the future that the United States seeks in an interconnected world, and
why I believe that India is indispensable to this vision; how we can
forge a truly global partnership -— not just in one or two areas, but
across many; not just for our mutual benefit, but for the benefit of the
world.
Of course, only Indians can determine India’s national
interests and how to advance them on the world stage. But I stand
before you today because I am convinced that the interests of the United
States —- and the interests we share with India -—are best advanced in
partnership. I believe that. (Applause.)
The United States seeks security —- the security of our
country, our allies and partners. We seek prosperity -— a strong and
growing economy in an open international economic system. We seek
respect for universal values. And we seek a just and sustainable
international order that promotes peace and security by meeting global
challenges through stronger global cooperation.
Now, to advance these interests, I have committed the United
States to comprehensive engagement with the world, based on mutual
interest and mutual respect. And a central pillar of this engagement is
forging deeper cooperation with 21st century centers of influence -—
and that must necessarily include India.
Now, India is not the only emerging power in the world. But
relationships between our countries is unique. For we are two strong
democracies whose constitutions begin with the same revolutionary words
—- the same revolutionary words -- “We the people.” We are two great
republics dedicated to the liberty and justice and equality of all
people. And we are two free market economies where people have the
freedom to pursue ideas and innovation that can change the world. And
that’s why I believe that India and America are indispensable partners
in meeting the challenges of our time. (Applause.)
Since taking office, I’ve, therefore, made our relationship a
priority. I was proud to welcome Prime Minister Singh for the first
official state visit of my presidency. (Applause.) For the first time
ever, our governments are working together across the whole range of
common challenges that we face. Now, let me say it as clearly as I
can: The United States not only welcomes India as a rising global
power, we fervently support it, and we have worked to help make it a
reality.
Together with our partners, we have made the G20 the premier
forum for international economic cooperation, bringing more voices to
the table of global economic decision-making, and that has included
India. We’ve increased the role of emerging economies like India at
international financial institutions. We valued India’s important role
at Copenhagen, where, for the first time, all major economies committed
to take action to confront climate change —- and to stand by those
actions. We salute India’s long history as a leading contributor to
United Nations peacekeeping missions. And we welcome India as it
prepares to take its seat on the United Nations Security Council.
(Applause.)
In short, with India assuming its rightful place in the world,
we have an historic opportunity to make the relationship between our
two countries a defining partnership of the century ahead. And I
believe we can do so by working together in three important areas.
First, as global partners we can promote prosperity in both
our countries. Together, we can create the high-tech, high-wage jobs of
the future. With my visit, we are now ready to begin implementing our
civil nuclear agreement. This will help meet India’s growing energy
needs and create thousands of jobs in both of our countries.
(Applause.)
We need to forge partnerships in high-tech sectors like
defense and civil space. So we’ve removed Indian organizations from our
so-called “entity list.” And we’ll work to remove -- and reform our
controls on exports. Both of these steps will ensure that Indian
companies seeking high-tech trade and technologies from America are
treated the same as our very closest allies and partners. (Applause.)
We can pursue joint research and development to create green
jobs; give India more access to cleaner, affordable energy; meet the
commitments we made at Copenhagen; and show the possibilities of
low-carbon growth.
And together, we can resist the protectionism that stifles
growth and innovation. The United States remains —- and will continue
to remain —- one of the most open economies in the world. And by
opening markets and reducing barriers to foreign investment, India can
realize its full economic potential as well. As G20 partners, we can
make sure the global economic recovery is strong and is durable. And we
can keep striving for a Doha Round that is ambitious and is balanced —-
with the courage to make the compromises that are necessary so global
trade works for all economies.
Together, we can strengthen agriculture. Cooperation between
Indian and American researchers and scientists sparked the Green
Revolution. Today, India is a leader in using technology to empower
farmers, like those I met yesterday who get free updates on market and
weather conditions on their cell phones. And the United States is a
leader in agricultural productivity and research. Now, as farmers and
rural areas face the effects of climate change and drought, we’ll work
together to spark a second, more sustainable Evergreen Revolution.
Together, we’re improving Indian weather forecasting systems
before the next monsoon season. We aim to help millions of Indian
farmers -- farming households save water and increase productivity,
improve food processing so crops don’t spoil on the way to market, and
enhance climate and crop forecasting to avoid losses that cripple
communities and drive up food prices.
And as part of our food security initiative, we’re going to
share India’s expertise with farmers in Africa. And this is an
indication of India’s rise —- that we can now export hard-earned
expertise to countries that see India as a model for agricultural
development. It’s another powerful example of how American and Indian
partnership can address an urgent global challenge.
Because the wealth of a nation also depends on the health of
its people, we’ll continue to support India’s effort against diseases
like tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, and as global partners, we’ll work to
improve global health by preventing the spread of pandemic flu. And
because knowledge is the currency of the 21st century, we will increase
exchanges between our students, our colleges and our universities, which
are among the best in the world.
As we work to advance our shared prosperity, we can partner to
address a second priority —- and that is our shared security. In
Mumbai, I met with the courageous families and survivors of that
barbaric attack. And here in Parliament, which was itself targeted
because of the democracy it represents, we honor the memory of all those
who have been taken from us, including American citizens on 26/11 and
Indian citizens on 9/11.
This is the bond that we share. It’s why we insist that
nothing ever justifies the slaughter of innocent men, women and
children. It’s why we’re working together, more closely than ever, to
prevent terrorist attacks and to deepen our cooperation even further.
And it’s why, as strong and resilient societies, we refuse to live in
fear. We will not sacrifice the values and rule of law that defines us,
and we will never waver in the defense of our people.
America’s fight against al Qaeda and its terrorist affiliates
is why we persevere in Afghanistan, where major development assistance
from India has improved the lives of the Afghan people. We’re making
progress in our mission to break the Taliban’s momentum and to train
Afghan forces so they can take the lead for their security. And while I
have made it clear that American forces will begin the transition to
Afghan responsibility next summer, I’ve also made it clear that
America’s commitment to the Afghan people will endure. The United
States will not abandon the people of Afghanistan -— or the region -— to
violent extremists who threaten us all.
Our strategy to disrupt and dismantle and defeat al Qaeda and
its affiliates has to succeed on both sides of the border. And that’s
why we have worked with the Pakistani government to address the threat
of terrorist networks in the border region. The Pakistani government
increasingly recognizes that these networks are not just a threat
outside of Pakistan —- they are a threat to the Pakistani people, as
well. They’ve suffered greatly at the hands of violent extremists over
the last several years.
And we’ll continue to insist to Pakistan's leaders that
terrorist safe havens within their borders are unacceptable, and that
terrorists behind the Mumbai attacks must be brought to justice.
(Applause.) We must also recognize that all of us have an interest in
both an Afghanistan and a Pakistan that is stable and prosperous and
democratic —- and India has an interest in that, as well.
In pursuit of regional security, we will continue to welcome
dialogue between India and Pakistan, even as we recognize that disputes
between your two countries can only be resolved by the people of your
two countries.
More broadly, India and the United States can partner in
Asia. Today, the United States is once again playing a leadership role
in Asia —- strengthening old alliances; deepening relationships, as we
are doing with China; and we’re reengaging with regional organizations
like ASEAN and joining the East Asia summit —- organizations in which
India is also a partner. Like your neighbors in Southeast Asia, we want
India not only to “look East,” we want India to “engage East” —-
because it will increase the security and prosperity of all our nations.
As two global leaders, the United States and India can partner
for global security —- especially as India serves on the Security
Council over the next two years. Indeed, the just and sustainable
international order that America seeks includes a United Nations that is
efficient, effective, credible and legitimate. That is why I can say
today, in the years ahead, I look forward to a reformed United Nations
Security Council that includes India as a permanent member. (Applause.)
Now, let me suggest that with increased power comes increased
responsibility. The United Nations exists to fulfill its founding
ideals of preserving peace and security, promoting global cooperation,
and advancing human rights. These are the responsibilities of all
nations, but especially those that seek to lead in the 21st century.
And so we look forward to working with India —- and other nations that
aspire to Security Council membership -— to ensure that the Security
Council is effective; that resolutions are implemented, that sanctions
are enforced; that we strengthen the international norms which recognize
the rights and responsibilities of all nations and all individuals.
This includes our responsibility to prevent the spread of
nuclear weapons. Since I took office, the United States has reduced the
role of nuclear weapons in our national security strategy, and we've
agreed with Russia to reduce our own arsenals. We have put preventing
nuclear proliferation and nuclear terrorism at the top of our nuclear
agenda, and we have strengthened the cornerstone of the global
non-proliferation regime, which is the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Together, the United States and India can pursue our goal of
securing the world’s vulnerable nuclear materials. We can make it clear
that even as every nation has the right to peaceful nuclear energy,
every nation must also meet its international obligations —- and that
includes the Islamic Republic of Iran. And together, we can pursue a
vision that Indian leaders have espoused since independence —- a world
without nuclear weapons. (Applause.)
And this leads me to the final area where our countries can
partner —- strengthening the foundations of democratic governance, not
only at home but abroad.
In the United States, my administration has worked to make
government more open and transparent and accountable to people. Here in
India, you’re harnessing technologies to do the same, as I saw
yesterday at an expo in Mumbai. Your landmark Right to Information Act
is empowering citizens with the ability to get the services to which
they’re entitled -- (applause) -- and to hold officials accountable.
Voters can get information about candidates by text message. And you’re
delivering education and health care services to rural communities, as I
saw yesterday when I joined an e-panchayat with villagers in
Rajasthan.
Now, in a new collaboration on open government, our two
countries are going to share our experience, identify what works, and
develop the next generation of tools to empower citizens. And in
another example of how American and Indian partnership can address
global challenges, we’re going to share these innovations with civil
society groups and countries around the world. We’re going to show that
democracy, more than any other form of government, delivers for the
common man —- and woman.
Likewise, when Indians vote, the whole world watches.
Thousands of political parties; hundreds of thousands of polling
centers; millions of candidates and poll workers -- and 700 million
voters. There’s nothing like it on the planet. There is so much that
countries transitioning to democracy could learn from India’s
experience, so much expertise that India can share with the world. And
that, too, is what is possible when the world’s largest democracy
embraces its role as a global leader.
As the world’s two largest democracies, we must never forget that
the price of our own freedom is standing up for the freedom of others.
(Applause.) Indians know this, for it is the story of your nation.
Before he ever began his struggle for Indian independence, Gandhi stood
up for the rights of Indians in South Africa. Just as others, including
the United States, supported Indian independence, India championed the
self-determination of peoples from Africa to Asia as they, too, broke
free from colonialism. (Applause.) And along with the United States,
you’ve been a leader in supporting democratic development and civil
society groups around the world. And this, too, is part of India’s
greatness.
Now, we all understand every country will follow its own
path. No one nation has a monopoly on wisdom, and no nation should ever
try to impose its values on another. But when peaceful democratic
movements are suppressed —- as they have been in Burma, for example --
then the democracies of the world cannot remain silent. For it is
unacceptable to gun down peaceful protestors and incarcerate political
prisoners decade after decade. It is unacceptable to hold the
aspirations of an entire people hostage to the greed and paranoia of
bankrupt regimes. It is unacceptable to steal elections, as the regime
in Burma has done again for all the world to see.
Faced with such gross violations of human rights, it is the
responsibility of the international community —- especially leaders like
the United States and India —- to condemn it. And if I can be frank,
in international fora, India has often shied away from some of these
issues. But speaking up for those who cannot do so for themselves is
not interfering in the affairs of other countries. It’s not violating
the rights of sovereign nations. It is staying true to our democratic
principles. It is giving meaning to the human rights that we say are
universal. And it sustains the progress that in Asia and around the
world has helped turn dictatorships into democracies and ultimately
increased our security in the world.
So promoting shared prosperity, preserving peace and security,
strengthening democratic governance and human rights -- these are the
responsibilities of leadership. And as global partners, this is the
leadership that the United States and India can offer in the 21st
century. Ultimately, though, this cannot be a relationship only between
presidents and prime ministers, or in the halls of this Parliament.
Ultimately, this must be a partnership between our peoples.
(Applause.) So I want to conclude by speaking directly to the people of
India who are watching today.
In your lives, you have overcome odds that might have
overwhelmed a lesser country. In just decades, you have achieved
progress and development that took other nations centuries. You are now
assuming your rightful place as a leader among nations. Your parents
and grandparents imagined this. Your children and grandchildren will
look back on this. But only this generation of Indians can seize the
possibilities of the moment.
As you carry on with the hard work ahead, I want every Indian
citizen to know: The United States of America will not simply be
cheering you on from the sidelines. We will be right there with you,
shoulder to shoulder. (Applause.) Because we believe in the promise of
India. We believe that the future is what we make it. We believe that
no matter who you are or where you come from, every person can fulfill
their God-given potential, just as a Dalit like Dr. Ambedkar could lift
himself up and pen the words of the constitution that protects the
rights of all Indians. (Applause.)
We believe that no matter where you live —- whether a village
in Punjab or the bylanes of Chandni Chowk -- (laughter) -- an old
section of Kolkata or a new high-rise in Bangalore -- every person
deserves the same chance to live in security and dignity, to get an
education, to find work, to give their children a better future.
And we believe that when countries and cultures put aside old
habits and attitudes that keep people apart, when we recognize our
common humanity, then we can begin to fulfill these aspirations that we
share. It’s a simple lesson contained in that collection of stories
which has guided Indians for centuries —- the Panchtantra. And it’s the
spirit of the inscription seen by all who enter this great hall: “That
one is mine and the other a stranger is the concept of little minds.
But to the large-hearted, the world itself is their family.”
This is the story of India; this is the story of America —-
that despite their differences, people can see themselves in one
another, and work together and succeed together as one proud nation.
And it can be the spirit of partnership between our nations —- that even
as we honor the histories which in different times kept us apart, even
as we preserve what makes us unique in a globalized world, we can
recognize how much we can achieve together.
And if we let this simple concept be our guide, if we pursue
the vision I’ve described today —- a global partnership to meet global
challenges —- then I have no doubt that future generations —- Indians
and Americans —- will live in a world that is more prosperous and more
secure and more just because of the bonds that our generation has forged
today.
So, thank you, and Jai Hind. (Applause.) And long live the
partnership between India and the United States. (Applause.)
END 6:17 P.M. IST
