Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-NY). (Photo, as it appears on www.house.gov)

June 1 –– Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-NY) said on the House floor that the U.S. should call for independence of minorities in South Asia and stop aid to India until human rights are restored. “We should support a free and fair plebiscite on the question of independence for the minority nations of South Asia. And until human rights are fully observed and a complete break is made with the bloody and repressive policies of the past, the United States should stop providing aid to India,” said Rep. Towns. He also quoted from a May 26 letter from self-proclaimed President of Khalistan, Gurmeet Singh Aulakh, to newly elected Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Rep. Towns said he hoped Singh’s appointment would be a step forward in good relations with Washington, but that “the support of India’s Communists for the governing coalition makes me wonder if good relations are possible under this particular government.”

He also lauded the Subcommittee on Human Rights and Wellness chaired by old India-foe Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN) for conducting a hearing last month into alleged human rights violations in Kashmir and in Punjab.