THE HON BILL SHORTEN MP
LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION
MEMBER FOR MARIBYRNONG
MICHELLE ROWLAND MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR CITIZENSHIP AND MULTICULTURALISM
SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR COMMUNICATIONS
MEMBER FOR GREENWAY
On behalf of the Federal Labor Party, it gives us great pleasure to send our best wishes on the auspicious occasion of India’s 69th Independence Day.
On August 15 we acknowledge one of history’s greatest struggles and give thanks for the sacrifices made by individuals for independence which gave birth to the world’s largest democracy.
Just as independence transformed India, today’s economic transformation is turning India into one of the powerhouses of the Asian Century, driving it towards a more prosperous future that is seizing the benefits of technology and innovation.
We need only look at India’s focus on renewably energy and its smart infrastructure initiatives to appreciate that this is a nation relishing its status as a world leader. Of course, much remains to be done and so much will be achieved by our great peoples working in co-operation.
Never has this been more evident in Australian society today with a large and growing population of peoples of Indian heritage: men, women and children who are making a valuable contribution in our schools, businesses and social fabric on a scale neither of our countries could have imagined. This reinforces the greatest asset of an independent India: its people.
Inspired by the words of Mahatma Gandhi to be the change we want to see in the world, the next step for our two great nations is to align our deep friendship with a more comprehensive, more rewarding economic relationship – something to which Federal Labor is committed.
May our deep and lasting bonds continue to be strengthened by our mutual values of freedom, responsibility, the rule of law, and unity in diversity.
On this joyous occasion, we wish you a very happy Independence Day.
Jai Hind.
Indian Independence Day wishes
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