Your Royal Highness, Your Excellencies, Your Grace, Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am grateful for the opportunity to say a few words of welcome this evening. I would like to start by thanking the Chairman and members of the British Indian Golden Jubilee Banquet Committee for laying on such a splendid event. I wouyld also like to pay tribute to the enormous contribution Dr Singhvi has made to relations between Britain and India over the last six years.
I am proud that it was under a Labour Government that India secured her independence. And it gives me enormous pleasure to say to the nation of India today: congratulations on 50 years of independence - a great achevement by one of the great nations of the modern world. India has an economy undergoing huge change and modernisation. It is the worlds largest democracy. As I saw at the recent Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, it is respected and admired in the forums of the world.
And its potential is monumental. There is no doubt at all that India will be one of the great global players in the 21st Century.
We in Britain have been pleased to play a part in Indias Anniversary celebrations:
last month, her Majesty The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh paid a State visit to India. Some people here and in India tried to make mischief out of the visit. But you and I know the reality: they were received with genuine warmth and affection by their hosts and the countless Indian people who saw them, during a visit which took them to a remarkable seven Indian states in six days and Betty Boothroyd, the speaker of the House of Commons, has told me of the privilege she felt as Guest of Honour at the midnight session of the Indian Parliament on the actual anniversary of Indias independence.
Turning to the future, I look forward to Indias next fifty years and in particular to an ever deeper relationship between Britain and India.
It is based on mutual interest and respect. India matters to Britain, just as I hope Britain matters to India.
I would like to think India can look upon Britain as her principal friend and supporter in all the counsels of world politics. I believe our relations can and should intensify.
Inder Gujral and I met for the first time at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Edinburgh last month. He and I readily agreed that our bilateral relations are in excellent shape. The links between us are impressive: in education and training, defence, science and technology, development assistance, law and parliament and above all trade and investment. I pay tribute to my predecessor, John Majors role in setting up the Indo-British Partnership, which has seen bilateral trade and investment double in the last few years. We are cumulatively the number one investor in India. Our task now is to build on this strong foundation.
The strongest link between us all is the one between our peoples. The Asian community makes an immense contribution to the life, economy and culture of this country. It reinforces the relationship between Britain and India.
Over 800,000 people of Indian origin now live in Britain, well over a third born here. I value the richness and diversity the Indian community brings us. The community reinforces the key values in our society: the importance of family life, the improvement of our children through education, industry, enterprise. The results are plain for all to see: young people of Indian origin going on to further and higher education in ever greater numbers; greater representation in the professions; a growing number of successful Indian businessmen and women and entrepreneurs. The present generation has achieved much. I will work to ensure that the next generation has achieved more.
We must improve the representation of the ethnic minorities in all areas of political life. The Labour Party almost doubled the number of its MPs from the ethnic minorities in the last election. But that is not enough. We must increase representation in all areas, whether it be Parliament, the Civil Service, or the judiciary.
I am not blind to the problems that many members of the Indian community still face, every day. I know that bigotry and thuggery still exist. We will be making racially motivated violence a specific criminal offence and we will support the victims of senseless, unprovoked racist attacks.
We are all committed to building a society in Britain where all individuals, whatever their race, colour or ethnic background have equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities. We must all of us play our part in improving community relations in this country.
India and Britain have a joint history going back centuries. Let us celebrate tonight the fifty years of Indian independence. Look forward to the next fifty years and look forward to the continued friendship and partnership between Britain and India, and the British and Indian peoples in the years ahead.
I am proud that it was under a Labour Government that India secured her independence. And it gives me enormous pleasure to say to the nation of India today: congratulations on 50 years of independence - a great achevement by one of the great nations of the modern world. India has an economy undergoing huge change and modernisation. It is the worlds largest democracy. As I saw at the recent Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, it is respected and admired in the forums of the world.
And its potential is monumental. There is no doubt at all that India will be one of the great global players in the 21st Century.
We in Britain have been pleased to play a part in Indias Anniversary celebrations:
last month, her Majesty The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh paid a State visit to India. Some people here and in India tried to make mischief out of the visit. But you and I know the reality: they were received with genuine warmth and affection by their hosts and the countless Indian people who saw them, during a visit which took them to a remarkable seven Indian states in six days and Betty Boothroyd, the speaker of the House of Commons, has told me of the privilege she felt as Guest of Honour at the midnight session of the Indian Parliament on the actual anniversary of Indias independence.
Turning to the future, I look forward to Indias next fifty years and in particular to an ever deeper relationship between Britain and India.
It is based on mutual interest and respect. India matters to Britain, just as I hope Britain matters to India.
I would like to think India can look upon Britain as her principal friend and supporter in all the counsels of world politics. I believe our relations can and should intensify.
Inder Gujral and I met for the first time at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Edinburgh last month. He and I readily agreed that our bilateral relations are in excellent shape. The links between us are impressive: in education and training, defence, science and technology, development assistance, law and parliament and above all trade and investment. I pay tribute to my predecessor, John Majors role in setting up the Indo-British Partnership, which has seen bilateral trade and investment double in the last few years. We are cumulatively the number one investor in India. Our task now is to build on this strong foundation.
The strongest link between us all is the one between our peoples. The Asian community makes an immense contribution to the life, economy and culture of this country. It reinforces the relationship between Britain and India.
Over 800,000 people of Indian origin now live in Britain, well over a third born here. I value the richness and diversity the Indian community brings us. The community reinforces the key values in our society: the importance of family life, the improvement of our children through education, industry, enterprise. The results are plain for all to see: young people of Indian origin going on to further and higher education in ever greater numbers; greater representation in the professions; a growing number of successful Indian businessmen and women and entrepreneurs. The present generation has achieved much. I will work to ensure that the next generation has achieved more.
We must improve the representation of the ethnic minorities in all areas of political life. The Labour Party almost doubled the number of its MPs from the ethnic minorities in the last election. But that is not enough. We must increase representation in all areas, whether it be Parliament, the Civil Service, or the judiciary.
I am not blind to the problems that many members of the Indian community still face, every day. I know that bigotry and thuggery still exist. We will be making racially motivated violence a specific criminal offence and we will support the victims of senseless, unprovoked racist attacks.
We are all committed to building a society in Britain where all individuals, whatever their race, colour or ethnic background have equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities. We must all of us play our part in improving community relations in this country.
India and Britain have a joint history going back centuries. Let us celebrate tonight the fifty years of Indian independence. Look forward to the next fifty years and look forward to the continued friendship and partnership between Britain and India, and the British and Indian peoples in the years ahead.