Ed Towns

Mr. TOWNS

Mr. TOWNS. Madam Speaker, the Council of Khalistan recently issued a press release on the elections in Punjab and the victory of the Shiromani Akali Dal. Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh, President of the Council of Khalistan, noted the unfortunate cycle between the Congress party, which was primarily responsible for the genocide against Sikhs, and the Shiromani Akali Dal, which is in coalition with the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is the political arm of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Singh (RSS), an organization formed in support of the Fascists of Europe which has been responsible for acts of violence against minorities. The RSS also published a booklet on how to implicate minorities such as Sikhs, Christians, and others in false criminal cases. An alternative to these two parties is sorely needed. The Sikh nation needs leaders who are committed to protecting their interests. As you know, Madam Speaker, former President Bill Clinton, in his foreword to Madeline Albright's book, wrote that 38 Sikhs in Chithisinghpora were murdered while he was visiting by Hindu militants. New York Times reporter Barry Bearak has concluded that the Indian government's forces were responsible. Although the killers dressed as ``militants,'' they spoke to each other in the language of the Indian army. It appears that this is just another of the many incidents where either the Indian military or its paid ``Black Cats'' paramilitary units have been caught carrying out terrorist incidents in the guise of alleged ``militants.'' Remember that according to India Today, India's leading news magazine, it was the lndian government itself that created the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, identified by the U.S. government as a terrorist organization. Madam Speaker, the essence of democracy is the right to self- determination. It is time for India to end the repression of its minorities and allow them to exercise their basic democratic right to a free and fair vote on the question of independence. This Congress should put itself on record demanding that India do so. Further, we should cut off our aid to India and our trade with that country until full human rights, including the right to self-determinatlon, are enjoyed by all the people there. Madam Speaker, I request permission to place the Council of Khalistan's press release on the Punjab ejections into the Record at this time. [From the Council of Khalistan--Press Release] Akali Dal Wins Punjab Elections--Must Put Interests of Sikh Nation First--Khalistan Is the Only Solution Washington, DC., Feb. 28, 2007.--The Shlromani Akali Dal, under the leadership of Parkash Singh Badal, won the state elections for the Punjab Legislative Assembly, winning 48 of 117 seats to 44 for the Congress party, 19 for the Bharatiya Janata Party, 5 Independents. and one seat still to be elected. Since the Akalls and the BJP are coalition partners, this puts the Akall coalition back in charge with a 67-seat majority. As a reward, the BJP got the position of Deputy Chief Minister. ``It is sad that the people of Punjab are re-enacting the cycle of choosing between the Congress Party, which presided over the massacre of Sikhs and the Akalis, whose coalition partner, the BJP, wants to wipe out the Sikhs and all minorities,'' said Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh, President of the Council of Khalistan. ``Captain Amarinder Singh is to be given credit for doing some pro-Sikh things like cancelling the water agreements that permitted the diversion of Punjab's water to non-riparian states,'' said Dr. Aulakh. ``But he is still trapped by the Congress Party. Badal, who presided over the most corrupt government in Punjab's history, has pledged clean government. He has promised free electricity for Punjab farmers and Rs4 per kilo for wheat flour and Rs20 per kilo for lentils to the poor. Let's see if he keeps his word, Dr. Aulakh said. ``Radal is the head of a Sikh religious and political body. His party controls the Gurdwaras in Punjab. That's where he got the money to buy the alcohol for his election,'' Dr. Aulakh said. He noted that the BJP, the Akalls' coalition partner, is the political arm of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS). a pro-Fascist organization that has worked to eliminate minorities from India. ``Is Badal on the side of the Sikhs or the RSS?'' Dr. Aulakh asked. He called on the Badal government to get Chandigarh back for Punjab. ``Punjab built Chandigarh to be its capital. It properly belongs to us. The government of Punjab should be pressing to get our capital back,'' he said. ``Remember that the Akalls once called on the Sikh Nation to carry out `the long struggle to liberate Khalistan,' '' Dr. Aulakh said. ``These elections show why we must liberate Khalistan from Indian occupation and oppression,'' said Dr. Aulakh. ``That is the only way for Sikhs to protect ourselves from India's brutality. Elections under the Indian constitution will only perpetuate it. The only way that the repression will stop and Sikhs will live in freedom, dignity, and prosperity is to liberate Khalistan,'' said Dr. Aulakh. ``As Professor Darshan Singh, former Jathedar of the Akal Takht, said, `If a Sikh is not a Khallstani, he is not a Sikh.','' Dr. Aulakh said. After human-rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra exposed the Indian government's policy of mass cremation of Sikhs, in which over 50,000 Sikhs have been arrested, tortured, and murdered, then their bodies were declared unidentified and secretly cremated, the police kidnapped him. Khalra was murdered in police custody. No one has been brought to justice for the kidnapping and murder of Jaswant Singh Khalra. Rajiv Singh Randhawa, who was the only witness to the Khalra kidnapping, has been repeatedly subjected to police harassment. This includes being arrested for trying to hand a piece of paper to then-British Home Secretary Jack Straw in front of the Golden Temple. The police never released the body of former Jathedar of the Akal Takht Gurdev Singh Kaunke after SSP Swaran Singh Ghotna murdered him. He was never punished for this crime. In 1994, the U.S. State Department reported that the Indian government had paid over 41,000 cash bounties for killing Sikhs. A report by the Movement Against State Repression (MASR) quotes the Punjab Civil Magistracy as writing ``if we add up the figures of the last few years the number of innocent persons killed would run into lakhs [hundreds of thousands.]'' The Indian Supreme Court called the Indian government's murders of Sikhs ``worse than a genocide.'' The MASR report states that 52,268 Sikhs are being held as political prisoners in India without charge or trial, mostly under a repressive law known as the ``Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act'' (TADA), which expired in 1995. Many have been in illegal custody since 1984. There has been no list published of those who were acquitted under TADA and those who are still rotting in Indian jails. Tens of thousands of other minorities are also being held as political prisoners, according to Amnesty International. Last year, 35 Sikhs were charged and arrested in Punjab for making speeches in support of Khalistan and raising the Khalistani flag. ``How can making speeches and raising a flag be considered crimes in a democratic society?'' asked Dr. Aulakh. India is on the verge of disintegration. Kashmir is about to separate from India. As L.K. Advani said, ``If Kashmir goes, India goes.'' History shows that multinational states such as India are doomed to failure. ``Countries like Austria-Hungary, India's longtime friend the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, and others prove this point. India is not one country; it is a polyglot liKe those countries, thrown together for the convenience of the British colonialists. It is doomed to break up as they did. There is nothing in common in the culture of a Hindu living in Bengal and one in Tamil Nadu, let alone between them and the minority nations of South Asia,'' Dr. Aulakh said. ``Freedom is the God-given right of every nation and every human being,'' said Dr. Aulakh. He noted that the Indian government was already spinning the results. ``Their wholly- owned U.S. Congressman, Frank Pallone (D-New Jersey) has already portrayed the elections as a rejection of Khalistan, even though the voters defeated the Congress Party, which is against Khalistan,' Dr. Aulakh said. ``Congressman Pallone sounds like he is being compensated by the Indian regime,'' Dr. Aulakh noted. ``Sikhs must be allowed to have a free and fair plebiscite on the issue of Khalistan. In a democracy, you cannot continue to rule against the wishes of the people,'' he said. ``The essence of democracy is the right to self-determination. Currently, there are 17 freedom movements within India's borders. It has 16 official languages. It cannot hold together for very long,'' he said. ``We hope that India's breakup will be peaceful like Czechoslovakia's, not violent like Yugoslavia's,'' Dr. Aulakh said. ``Earlier this year, Montenegro, which is less than a million people, became a sovereign country and a member of the United Nations,'' he said. ``Now it is the time for the Sikh Nation of Punjab, Khalistan to become independent. We must free Khalistan now.''

Mr. TOWNS

Mr. TOWNS. I thank the gentleman from New Jersey for yielding time to me, and to say that I thank the leadership of this House. I thank Speaker Nancy Pelosi and I thank Ike Skelton for bringing this resolution forward. You know, I served in the military, and I have great admiration and respect for the military, and I also cannot understand why people are saying that if you support this resolution you are not supporting the troops. I can't make that connection because I support the troops, but I must admit I also support this resolution. Mr. Speaker, 4 years have passed since this administration began its ill-fated war in Iraq. No weapons of mass destruction have been found, no coalition of nations has fought in the war, and the American people are still waiting for a plan for a real war against terrorism. Though Saddam Hussein is now dead, this fact alone has not been worth nearly $400 billion in taxpayer funds, the loss of 3,000 lives, and 26,000 casualties. What message does this send to the American people? I have been hearing this all day long coming from the minority side. Let me tell you what the message is that we are sending to the American people: That our priorities are upside down, and we need to fix them. I have opposed this war from the very beginning, because I was concerned that we would come to this point where we would spend all the money on the war and not have the resources to do the things to keep our Nation and to make our Nation strong. Almost all the speakers on the other side expressed their support for the troops. I want you to know that on this side we also express our support for the troops. This administration has asked us to cut funding for children, for children's health insurance. We were asked to cut critical funds for Medicaid and Medicare, a loss of dollars that may cripple our public health system. Many of our hospitals are actually closing, and we are asked to provide token funding so No Child Left Behind becomes ``most children now are left behind.'' This war and its budgetary requirements are squeezing the American people, and I say that enough is enough. But, no, the administration is asking for 20,000 more combat troops and approximately 15,000 support troops. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that it will cost approximately $13 billion. This administration has had troop surges in the past; this is not new. What is different about this troop surge? It is more of the same, just more targets we are sending. In October, the administration sent more combat troops into Baghdad to attempt to end the growing violence; however, the violence in Baghdad has only grown worse. Now the United States military is caught up in a very violent civil war, something they are neither trained nor equipped to deal with. Sending additional troops to Iraq actually makes things worse for Iraqi civilians and for our troops. Our military is already stretched too thin. Many soldiers are doing two and three and four tours of duty. The administration now plans to send additional troops into a city almost the size of New York City, and they may have to go house to house in order to keep warring sides from killing each other. What message does this send to the American people when we tell them we have no more money for children's health insurance, no more money for Medicaid, no more money for Medicare, no more money for senior programs and no more money for children's education? And how do you think the American people will react to more fatalities and more wounded? How long will Congress keep supporting a war that has nothing to do with ending terrorism? I ask the question tonight, how long will this administration keep ignoring the real needs of the American people? It is time for America to withdraw from Iraq and focus on the real business of the American people: better health care, more jobs, education for all of our children. We should not send an additional 21,500 troops. That only means we are sending additional targets into the area.

Mr. TOWNS. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. TOWNS. Let me say to you that I read the resolution, and I don't know how you can arrive at that conclusion.

Mr. TOWNS

Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, it is becoming clear day by day that the President's troop escalation plan is not in the best interest of this Nation. First, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the President's troop escalation plan would take substantially more troops and more money than the President has suggested. The President says 21,500 troops are needed; the CBO says 48,000 troops are necessary to conduct the mission. The President says it will cost about $5.6 billion, but CBO says that the number could be four times higher than that. Second, the administration's intelligence agencies concluded last week that violence would continue in Iraq for at least another 18 months, but the President says his plan will calm the violence in 6 months. And, third, Pentagon officials admitted last week that they do not have enough armored vehicles, armored kits and other equipment needed to protect these additional troops. Mr. Speaker, after hearing these three different facts, how can anyone believe the President's troop escalation plan is in the best interests of this country? On that note, I yield back.

Mr. TOWNS

Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 35) supporting the goals and ideals of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, as amended.

Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, let me say that I want to salute both of you. Ron Dellums, when he was here in the Congress, Ron, of course, was really in the forefront of the fighting to get additional resources for AIDS patients and AIDS victims, and, of course, now you have picked it up and Congresswoman Maxine Waters from California. I want to let you know that we really appreciate your voices, and I want to let you know that I look forward to working with you in the days and months ahead to make certain that we get this information out to people that need to have this information because a lot of people don't know, and if they don't know, then they don't do anything about it. So I want to say to you thank you for helping to get the word out to make certain that they do know. I want to thank both of you for your hard work in this effort.

Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TOWNS. I would be delighted to yield to the gentlewoman from California.

Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. TOWNS. No doubt about it. Reclaiming my time, Mr. Speaker, let me say that I think that we need to involve our churches in this battle. Not only our churches but also our 501(c)(3) organizations. They need to be involved in this as well because we are talking about life and death. And the fact is that if we get involved, I think that we can begin to turn this around. Right now we are not winning the battle, and I think that we need to win. In order to win, we have to get all the soldiers involved. And I think that the church is crucial. They need to be involved in this issue. So we need to try to get the word out to them and hope that they will respond in a major kind of way because people are dying that really don't have to die if we get this information to them.

Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I must admit I don't plan to take it all. But let me just say I would like to thank the staff members. I would like to thank the leadership of the committees, who, of course, have been very involved in this issue because this is a very serious issue. People are dying because of the fact that we are not paying enough attention to this disease. So I want to thank people like Congresswoman Barbara Lee from California, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, and, of course, many others who have been there in the forefront indicating the fact that the time to do something is now. This resolution sort of highlights how important this issue is and that we must begin to address it. So I am hoping that the Members of the United States Congress will join us in supporting this resolution and not only that but to help us get information out to people. People need to be tested but not only to be tested. When they are tested, they need to have treatment. It is one thing to test; it is another thing to have treatment. Just a test to be testing does not make a lot of sense. But when you test and then you have a treatment program and you get education out, then it makes a lot of sense.

Mr. TOWNS. I would be delighted to yield to the gentlewoman from California.

Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, this is a healing moment in the long struggle for full and fair recognition for the African American victims of HIV and AIDS. I am proud that the Congress and our Nation continues to recognize the changing face of the HIV and AIDS. And I urge you to unanimously support this resolution. In the previous Congress, we spent much time and energy on the issue of HIV and AIDS, and rightfully so. I am glad that the Nation and the Congress have come together today to support a House resolution that recognizes the importance of supporting awareness in African American communities across this Nation. This is a special moment for me, because the HIV/AIDS crisis has hit the national African American community, and my own district in Brooklyn, New York has been hit real hard. So it is critical for Congress today to say to the Nation that this issue at this time is important, just as we did in the last session when we included for the first time the Minority AIDS Initiative in the Ryan White reauthorization. I am particularly pleased that today's Congress is recognizing the goals and ideals of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. The importance of prevention and testing in African American communities is very, very important, the need for full and equitable treatment of the disease in communities of color. My colleagues will speak to other aspects of the resolution. However, we are united in our support for strengthening the public health infrastructure to assist African American communities in fighting this epidemic. I urge my colleagues to vote for this critical resolution. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I would be happy to yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee), who has been fighting on this issue from the day that she arrived in the United States Congress.

Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters), who has really been involved in this issue, and I have worked very closely with her.

Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, how much time is remaining?

Mr. TOWNS

Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, let me begin by thanking you for allowing me to speak on this resolution. Fraud and abuse is very prevalent, and, of course, we need to do something about it. So I would like to say to the committee members that too long have we allowed this fraud and abuse to go without speaking out on it in the fashion that we should. People are being abused. Family members are being abused as a result of fraud and abuse. So I think that we need to send a message to those that are out there who are doing these kind of things to say that we will not sit back and allow you to do this. We have people that are taking another person's identity and going out, making bills and creating problems and creating situations where the person's credit is bad, and when they begin to move forward to try to do something on behalf of their family, they can't do it because somebody else has done some things that they should not have done and make this family have to suffer. So I would like to just thank the sponsors of this resolution, and to say to you that I think it will draw the attention of those who might not be fully aware of what is going on. I think it will let law enforcement also know that the Members of the United States Congress are very concerned about these issues. And I would like to salute the sponsors. I would like to salute the Energy and Commerce Committee for bringing this resolution forward so quickly because the time is now that we must send a statement, make a statement to let people know that we are not going to sit back and let them do these kind of things to create problems for people. So I would say to you, on that note, I look forward to working with the committee to see what we can do to further dramatize and to highlight this very serious situation.

Mr. TOWNS

Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in the name of fairness and justice. American families who rely on the Federal minimum wage are struggling to make ends meet. Over the last decade, our poorest-paid workers have faced rapidly rising costs in health care, energy, and college while the minimum wage has remained the same. H.R. 2, the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007, would increase the Federal minimum to $7.25 an hour. At $5.15 per hour, the current Federal minimum, a person working 40 hours per week makes $10,712 per year, about $5,000 below the poverty line for a family of three. I ask you, can you imagine taking care of your family much less yourself with that? In addition, millions of workers paid just a dollar or two more than the minimum also live in poverty. An increase to $7.25 will have a spillover effect that could raise wages for many of those workers. Ladies and gentlemen, the time for an increase is long overdue. Critics claim that increasing the minimum wage will have a negative effect on the economy, but after the last minimum wage increase in 1997, the economy enjoyed its strongest growth in more than three decades. This Congress was elected in a large part because our economy has not benefited the working poor as much as those at the high end of the pay scale. H.R. 2 is a first step and I encourage my colleagues to support the bill.

Mr. TOWNS

Mr. TOWNS. Madam Speaker, just before the new Congress convened, many of us celebrated Christmas with families and friends. I hope that every one of my colleagues, old and new, had a very happy Christmas and holiday season. But Christmas is another anniversary also for the Christians of India. Since Christmas 1998, 8 years now, India has been focusing its persecution in large measure on Christians. In September, the convent and school of Loreto were violently attacked by the violent Hindu organization the Bharatiya Janata Yuva, a youth arm of the BJP, which is the political arm of the RSS, a Fascist organization that published a book on how to get minorities, including Christians, falsely implicated in criminal cases. A BJP spokesman demanded a high-level inquiry into the school, according to the Tribune newspaper of Chandigarh, saying it engaged in ``irrational behavior.'' As I noted at the time of the attack, apparently, being a Catholic is irrational behavior and ``unscientific activity'' in the world of Hindu militants. Over 300,000 Christians in Nagaland have been murdered in India. Nuns have been raped, priests have been murdered, Christian schools and prayer halls have been attacked. Laws have been passed requiring the permission of the Hindu regime before one may be baptized. Christians have faced jail time, as well as threats and physical violence, just for sharing their faith. Missionary Graham Staines was sleeping in his jeep with his two young sons when they were surrounded by a mob chanting ``Victory to Hannuman,'' a Hindu god. The mob then burned Staines and his sons to death. Missionary Joseph Cooper of Pennsylvania was beaten so severely that he had to spend a week in an Indian hospital. Then the Indian government threw him out of the country. Police gunfire broke up a Christian religious festival on the theme ``Jesus is the answer.'' Is this the secularism that India is so proud of? It would be bad enough if Christians were the only ones suffering. But they are not. Sikhs, Muslims, Dalits, and others have also felt the lash of Indian repression. The time has come for freedom in the subcontinent. The time has come for the persecution to end. Madam Speaker, there is a way to help bring freedom and secularism to the people of south Asia. We should end all U.S. aid and trade with India until everyone within its jurisdiction enjoys full human rights there. And now that we have a new Congress, we should go on record in support of freedom everywhere in South Asia. There is no better time than now. If we can help to stop the persecution we have a duty to do so. I would like to place an article from the website of the Bible League into the Record at this time, Madame Speaker. It has further details about the persecution of Christians. ``He Heard Our Fears and Prayers'' Nearly two years after the establishment of anti-conversion laws, Indian Christians are celebrating the effects of their repeal. Only time will tell the long-term blessings of this legal change, but several resulting miracles have already taken place. In the first month alone, a group of 50 Indian church planters reports having baptized over 1,200 new Christians! Christians throughout India were stunned when the pro-Hindu government was overturned in the Spring 2004 national election, and several state governments annulled local anti- conversion laws. Said one local Bible League-trained Christian, ``I praise God for enabling us to spread the Gospel in our country. He heard our fears and prayers regarding the election. God gave us an extra bonus when He made our state government remove the anti-conversion law which was in force until now. Hallelujah!'' undeterred by fear Indian Christians have faced many hardships in sharing the Gospel. Bible League-trained Christians in India report that they or fellow believers have faced threats, physical attacks, and jail time for sharing their faith. Baptisms, in particular, became a significant challenge for local churches. Under the anti-conversion laws, anyone who chose to become baptized was legally obligated to seek permission from the government, as well as provide them with the name of the person performing the baptism. Fearing repercussions, many new Christians did not make this outward profession of faith until after the laws were repealed. Still, thousands of Indians were undeterred in their faith. A local Bible League-trained Christian, while under the anti- conversion law, wrote, ``We continue to encourage Christians through the Word of God. We remind them of the promises (Matthew 28:20) and the testimonies of the great martyrs. We are encouraged to fulfill the Great Commission of Christ, regardless of what happens to us. We are prepared for imprisonment, punishment, and even death for the sake of Christ.'' relying on God's faithfulness Continue to pray for the Church in India. The repeal of state anti-conversion laws has been a tremendous miracle--but challenges still remain. One state continues to uphold anti- conversion laws, and persecution persists throughout the country. Yet God has been faithful to His children in India, and they are recognizing Him as their Savior by the thousands. Praise God for increasing opportunities to share His Word with the lost. the great commission--Matthew 28:19-20 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

Mr. TOWNS

Mr. TOWNS. Madam, Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the Brooklyn Alumnae Chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority as they host the New York Metropolitan Area Founders Day Celebration on January 13, 2007. The Brooklyn Alumnae Chapter has been outstanding in its service of the Brooklyn community for over 50 years and I am privileged to have such a dedicated group of individuals in my district. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority was founded on January 13, 1913 by 22 collegiate women at Howard University. These students wanted to use their collective strength to promote academic excellence and to provide assistance to persons in need. The first public act performed by the Delta Founders was in 1913 at the Women's Suffrage March in Washington D.C. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. is a private, non-profit organization whose goal is to provide assistance and support through established programs in local communities throughout the world. A sisterhood of more than 200,000 predominately Black college educated women, the Sorority currently has over 900 chapters located in the United States, England, Japan (Tokyo and Okinawa), Germany, the Virgin Islands, Bermuda, the Bahamas and the Republic of Korea. The major programs of the sorority are based upon the organization's Five Point Thrust of: Economic Development, Educational Development, International Awareness and Involvement, Physical and Mental Health and Political Awareness and Involvement. The theme of this special event is ``Keeping our History: Past, Present and Future.'' This is particularly appropriate as we celebrate the life and achievements of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. this coming week. Madam Speaker, I would also like to recognize the impressive achievements of Bernadette Walker, President of the Brooklyn Alumnae Chapter as well as the co-chairs of Founders Day, Valerie White and Natalia S. Young, for their commitment to the Brooklyn community. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to this wonderful group of Americans and the great things they stand for.

Mr. TOWNS

Mr. TOWNS. Madam Speaker, the Council of Khalistan recently sent a letter to Joginder Singh Vedanti, the Jathedar of the Akal Takht, who has been promoting a piece of flim-flam known as the Dasam Granth, in which several writers took a snippet of the writing of the last Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh, and added other items, some pornographic, trying to pass it off as the genuine work of Guru Gobind Singh in order to damage the Sikh religion. Jathedar Vedanti's endorsement of the Dasam Granth makes him a participant in this effort to undermine the Sikh culture and religion. The Council of Khalistan urged the Jathedar to stop diverting the attention of the Sikhs to this severely altered book and instead to focus on the issue of freedom for Khalistan. He noted that on the two occasions last year when Sikh leaders were arrested for making speeches in support of Khalistan and raising a Khalistani flag, there was no protest from Jathedar Vedanti. It is time for as to support the legitimate aspirations of the Sikhs and all the minorities of India who are seeking their freedom by stopping our aid to India, suspending our trade with that country and by supporting the right to self-determination for all the minority nations of the subcontinent. Self-determination is the essence of democracy. Why can't ``the world's largest democracy'' hold a simple vote on this fundamental question? Madam Speaker, I would like to insert the Council of Khalistan's letter to Jathedar Vedanti into the Record at this time for the information of the American people. Council of Khalistan, Washington, DC, January 9, 2007. S. Joginder Singh Vedanti, Jathedar of the Akal Takht, Golden Temple, Arnritsar, Punjab, India Dear Jathedar Vedanti: I am writing to you about the Dasam Granth, which you have been promoting as the genuine writing of Guru Gobind Singh. The issue of its authorship was settled long ago. As you know, the authors of the Dasam Granth identify themselves within the text and only a small part is written by Guru Gobind Singh. The rest was appended by Hindu writers looking to harm the Sikh religion. Much of it is pornographic. For a jathedar of the Akal Takht to promote it as genuine Sikh scripture, especially since Guru Gobind Singh left the Guruship in the Guru Granth Sahib, is harmful to the Sikh religion and the Sikh Nation. Sikhs should bow only to the Guru Granth Sahih, nothing else. The Dasam Granth is not the real issue. Do not get sidetracked, and do not sidetrack the Sikh Nation from the real issue, freedom and sovereignty for Khalistan. Do not let this controversy divert and waste the resources of the Sikh Nation from the preservation of our religion and culture. It is vitally important that the Akal Takht Jathedar, the spiritual leader of the Sikh religion, be committed to the well-being of the Sikh Nation. Preserving its history, religion, culture, and scripture is essential to that well- being, especially when it is under assault from Hindus who are trying to subsume the Sikh religion and culture into those of the Hindus as part of Hindutva. Remember that a former Cabinet minister said that everyone who lives in India must either be a Hindu or be subservient to Hindus. But also remember the words of your predecessor, Professor Darshan Singh, who said, ``If a Sikh is not a Khalistani, he is not a Sikh.'' Jathedar Vedanti, the duty of the Jathedar of the Akal Takht is to protect, promote, and disseminate the Sikh religion. How can we do that within the framework of India when India is working to destroy the Sikh religion? The experience of tbe Jewish people shows that when a nation has sovereignty, it flourishes, but when it does not it perishes. The only way to preserve, promote, and disseminate the Sikh religion and culture is in a free and sovereign Khalistan. Yet when Sikh leaders in Punjab were arrested last year simply for making speeches and raising the Khalistani flag, we did not hear a word of protest from the Akal Takht. Nor did we hear a protest of the actions of the Badal government in Punjab, the most corrupt in Punjab's history. The Badal government even sold jobs--they called it ``fee for service'' and Mrs. Badal was able to tell how much money was in a bag just by picking it up. Please do not let your energy be diverted to issues like the Dasam Granth, which has long become known to be altered. We need every Sikh to help bring freedom, dignity, prosperity, and security is in a free, sovereign, independent Khalistan. Discussion of issues like the Dasam Granth merely diverts the Khalsa Panth from freedom and sets back the cause of protecting the Khalsa Panth. Panth Da Sewadar, Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh, President, Council of Khalistan.

Mr. TOWNS

Mr. TOWNS. Madam Speaker, the Council of Khalistan recently sent a letter to Joginder Singh Vedanti, the Jathedar of the Akal Takht, who has been promoting a piece of flim-flam known as the Dasam Granth, in which several writers took a snippet of the writing of the last Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh, and added other items, some pornographlc, trying to pass it off as the genuine work of Guru Gobind Singh in order to damage the Sikh religion. Jathedar Vedanti's endorsement of the Dasam Granth makes him a particpant in this effort to undermine the Sikh culture and religion. The Council of Khalistan urged the Jathedar to stop diverting the attention of the Sikhs to this severely altered book and instead to focus on the issue of freedom for Khalistan. He noted that on the two occasions last year when Slkh leaders were arrested for making speeches in support of Khalistan and raising a Khalistani flag, there was no protest from Jathedar Vedanti. It is time for us to support the legitimate aspirations of the Sikhs and all the minorities of India who are seeking their freedom by stopping our aid to India) suspending our trade with that country and by supporting the right to self-determination for all the minority nations of the subcontinent. Self-determination is the essence of democracy. Why can't ``the world's largest democracy'' hold a simple vote on this fundamental question? Madam Speaker, I would like to insert the Council of Khalistan's letter to Jathedar Vedanti into the Record at this time for the information of the American people. January 9, 2007. Dear Jathedar Vedanti: I am writing to you about the Dasam Granth, which you have been promoting as the genuine writing of Guru Gobind Singh. The issue of its authorship was settled long ago. As you know, the authors of the Dasam Granth identify themselves within the text and only a small part is written by Guru Gobind Singh. The rest was appended by Hindu writers looking to harm the Sikh religion. Much of it is pornographic. For a jathedar of the Akal Takht to promote it as genuine Sikh scripture, especially since Guru Gobind Singh left the Guruship in the Guru Granth Sahib, is harmful to the Sikh religion and the Sikh Nation. Sikhs shou]d bow only to the Guru Granth Sahib, nothing else. The Dasam Granth is not the real issue. Do not get sidetracked, and do not sidetrack the Sikh Nation from the real issue, freedom and sovereignty for Khalistan. Do not let this controversy divert and waste the resources of the Sikh Nation from the preservation of our religion and culture. It is vitally important that the Akal Takht Jathedar, the spiritual leader of the Sikh religion, be committed to the well-being of the Sikh Nation. Preserving its history, religion, culture, and scripture is essential to that well- being, especially when it is under assault from Hindus who are trying to subsume the Sikh religion and culture into those of the Hindus as part of Hindutva. Remember that a former Cabinet minister said that everyone who lives in India must either be a Hindu or be suhservient to Hindus. But also remember the words of your predecessor, Professor Darshan Singh, who said, ``If a Sikh is not a Khalistani, he is not a Sikh.'' Jathedar Vedanti, the duty of the Jathedar of the Akal Takht is toprotect, promote, and disseminate the Sikh religion. How can we do that within the framework of India when India is working to destroy the Sikh religion? The experience or the Jewish people shows that when a nation has sovereignty, it flourishes, but when it does not it perishes. The only way to preserve, promote, and disseminate the Sikh religion and culture is in a free and sovereign Khalistan. Yet when Sikh leaders in Punjab were arrested last year simply for making speeches and raising the Khalistani flag, we did not hear a word of protest from the Akal Takht. Nor did we hear a protest of the actions of the Badal government in Punjab, the most corrupt in Punjab's history. The Badal government even sold jobs--they called it ``fee for service'' and Mrs. Badal was able to tell how moch money was in a bag just by picking it up. Please do not let your energy be diverted to issues like the Dasam Granth, which has long been known to be altered. We need every Sikh to help bring freedom, dignity, prosperity, and security is in a free, sovereign, independent Khalistan. Discussion of issues like the Dasam Granth merely diverts the Khalsa Panth from freedom and sets back the cause of protecting the Khalsa Panth. Panth Da Sewadar, Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh, President, Council of Khalistan.

Mr. TOWNS

Mr. TOWNS. Madam Speaker, I have recently encountered a book entitled Gandhi: Behind the Mask of Divinity, which sheds new light on the founder of India. The author, Colonel G. B. Singh, USA, portrays Mohandas Gandhi as a person who was more interested in advancing his own group than in the advancement of all people. Using Gandhi's own words, Colonel Singh portrays a very different Gandhi than you and I have been told about. Colonel Singh argues that the Gandhi we have been told about isn't the real Gandhi. He writes that he hopes that his book will stimulate discussion and provoke people to think about who Mohandas Gandhi really was. Since Gandhi is considered the father of the Indian nation, understanding his character is essential to understanding India. Colonel Singh's book is definitely controversial, but it is an important contribution to a full understanding of this important historical character. Madam Speaker, there is an excerpt from the book's introduction on the back cover, which has been reproduced, and I would like to introduce that two-paragraph excerpt into the Record at this time to give a flavor of the book and encourage people to broaden their perspective on Gandhi. From the Introduction To Gandhi: Behind The Mask of Divinity (By G.B. Singh) Over the years I have discussed Gandhi with many Americans, both formally and informally. . . . What continues to irk me is the amount of Gandhi ``propaganda material'' that has flooded our libraries and bookstores. For an unsuspecting Westerner, the reading of Gandhi as he is portrayed on these shelves can bring about the intended result. That is understandable. This book is an attempt to close the gap between the popularized Gandhi and the historical Gandhi. This book will incite readers to be more open-minded and to seek to validate the ``truths'' presented. My hope is that it will provoke honest, healthy, and open dialogue and foster more scrutiny about him. . . Years of dedicated research on Gandhi convinced me that our hero was fundamentally a racist. In this book, I present the facts. The evidence presented here is not a matter of speculation or distorted interpretation. Much of the irrefutable evidence lay buried beneath a mountain of Gandhi's own writings--in his own words, which I have uncovered--comments that will be difficult to dispute once they are read. In this book you will read the evidence in its entirety. My primary intention is to untangle the web that Gandhi weaved--and his followers are still weaving--for many years. Only through a methodical probing can we expose Gandhi's campaign of deception: the lies, the propaganda, the misinformation, the half-truths, and the effort to hide behind religion. Where Gandhi left off, his followers have picked up, and they continue their own sophisticated campaigns, both in India and abroad. The book should not be looked upon as another Gandhi biography. Rather, it should provide a standard by which to weigh the Gandhi literature for accuracy and objectivity. Also, this book, though narrowly focused, should stand as a guide alerting us to how thoroughly the Gandhi propagandists and others have succeeded in deceiving us.