India's voice must be heard: Dr. Manmohan Singh

By Vijay Kumar

In a speech lasting about 40 minutes to the US congress, Dr. Singh was applauded more than thirty times and the loudest of them all was when he declared that India’s voice cannot be ignored. A few quotes from the loud and clear speech from the soft Prime Minister.

++ No grievance can justify resort to terror. US and India must work together. We cannot be selective in this area. We must fight terrorism wherever it exists because terrorism anywhere threatens democracy everywhere

++ We have an obligation to help other countries that aspire for fruits of democracy.

++ We have to assuage doubts and calm fears... to ensure sustainability. India’s economic reforms must be seen in this light; they may appear slow, but I assure you they are durable and irreversible

++ India needs massive foreign direct investment, especially in infrastructure. I hope American companies will participate in the opportunities we are creating (400 of the Fortune 500 companies are in India)

++ Our educated young people are also English speaking. This makes us potentially an attractive location for production of high-end services

++ We need to make special efforts to bring our private sectors closer... To this end, President Bush and I have constituted an India-US forum of chief executive officers

++ India, as a responsible nuclear power, is fully conscious of immense responsibilities that come with possession of advanced technologies... We have never been, and will never be, a source of proliferation

++ The UN Security Council must be restructured as part of the reform process... the voice of the world’s largest democracy surely cannot be left unheard on the Security Council