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US lawmakers move resolution to posthumously award Congressional Gold Medal to Mahatma Gandhi

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Six congressional U.S lawmakers, of which include 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, PTI reported.

The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian honour given by the US Congress and very few foreigners have been recipients of this award. 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).

On September 23, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney from New York introduced it in the US House of Representatives which was then co-sponsored by Ami Bera, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ro Khanna and Pramila Jayapal.

The announcement in this regard was made by Maloney during the popular India Day Parade in New York 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. As a public servant, I am inspired everyday by his courage and example. Let us all follow Gandhi’s directive to ‘be the change you wish to see in the world’,” Maloney said.

“As India and the world commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, we applaud and greatly appreciate the initiative of Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney of New York for introducing legislation in the US Congress to honour the memory of the Mahatma, a person who inspired countless millions all over the world to take the path of truth, peace and non-violence,” said Sandeep Chakravorty, Consul General of India in New York.

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