WSN Service FREMONT: Over 100 prominent Sikhs of northern California gathered to honor the state’s Lt Governor Mr Leo McCarthy who is now campaigning for a US senate seat. Concerns were voiced over the tremble human rights Situation of the Sikhs in India at the breakfast meeting hosted by Dr Ajit Pal Singh Sandhu
Mr McCarthy said American ideals were often not reflected in US foreign policy. He gave the example of the US giving $15 billion worth of weapons technology to Saddam Hussein not long before young American men and women were sent to fight him
He said while the US govt cannot dictate that other counties precisely duplicate what we have in the US there is a bottom line. He said the US could not close its eyes to organized ‘violence by States against their own people.
At the very least we must not bestow economic or military favors on such nation she said. As US senator he would work towards spreading American ideals abroad. He would be in a better position to tell India to allow Amnesty International into Punjab he said
He opened his speech with Sat Sri Akal which he joked was an old Irish saying.
Dr Rajinder Singh introduced Mr McCarthy. He said today the US was be sieged by basic problems like education recession and health-care to tackle which we needed leaders of integrity. He said we could count on McCarthy whose life reflected the best the Democratic Party had to offer.
S Balbir S Ragi spoke of the Lt Governor’s record of community service and his involvement with humanitarian issues notably the problems of senior citizens. McCarthy was aware of the Sikh issue which he would take to the US senate he said.
Dr Gurinder S Grewal said that for the past decade Sikhs had a problem of basic human rights. Our people back home were fighting for their survival and independence. He said Sikhs everywhere were hurting but in this hour of crisis they had not found too many friends. He said some friends had spoken up for the Sikhs in the US House of Representatives but never in the Senate. The experience with Cranston was not very good Dr Grewal said.
Dr Grewal said though he was a Republican he was willing to whole-heatedly support McCarthy as he would speak for the Sikhs He said he was sure McCarthy would not disappoint them and the Sikhs would never ask for any undue favors or to back any unjust cause He said it was sad that human rights were used in the US merely as propaganda and there was no actual concern. The concern was only to secure and protect markets.
S Mohinder S Mann pledged unconditional support to McCarthy who he said never been wanting in reciprocating. He gave the example of the recent smear campaign against Sikhs in the San Jose Mercury News and other newspapers. The Assemblyman’s office responsible for equating Sikhs with Hells Angels promptly apologized after McCarthy was apprised of the matter
He spoke of the systematic arrests tortures and murders as detailed by Amnesty He said McCarthy was going to raise these vital issues in the senate. He appealed for whole-hearted support for McCarthy.
Mrs Amrit Kaur of the Kaur Organisation presented a book by Dr Sohan Singh India and Khalistan to Mr McCarthy.
Article extracted from this publication >> June 28, 1991
