Washington: Half a dozen influential US lawmakers, including four Indian Americans, have moved a resolution in the US House of Representatives to posthumously award the prestigious Congressional Gold Medal to Mahatma Gandhi in recognition of his promotion of peace and non-violence.
Introduced in the US House of Representatives by Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney from New York on September 23, the resolution is co-sponsored by four Indian American lawmakers in the House - Ami Bera, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ro Khanna and Pramila Jayapal. Tulsi Gabbard, who is the current co-chair of the House Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans is also one the co-sponsors of the resolution, which has been sent to the committee on financial services and committee on house administration for necessary action.
The medal is the highest civilian honour given by the US Congress and very few foreigners have been recipients. Prominent among those include Mother Teresa (1997), Nelson Mandela (1998), Pope John Paul II (2000), the Dalai Lama (2006), Aung San Suu Kyi (2008), Muhammad Yunus (2010) and Shimon Peres (2014).
The announcement was made by Maloney in August. “Mahatma Gandhi’s historic Satyagraha movement of non-violent resistance inspired a nation and the world. His example energises us to devote ourselves to the service of others,” she said. “His legacy inspired civil rights movements around the globe, from Martin Luther King’s movement for racial equality to Nelson Mandela’s fight against apartheid,” Maloney said.
