A Congressional committee passed a bill, which was written by civil rights icon John Lewis, as per a PTI report. It will the focus on the legacies of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr, two huge advocates of non-violence as a weapon of protest against oppression.?
Cosponsored by Congressman Ami Bera who is an American of Indian origin, the Gandhi-King Exchange Act as it is called has now been passed by the House Foreign Affairs Committee. It forms an exchange of ideas between the two countries to study the legacy left behind by these two great men.?
"John Lewis was a civil rights hero not only in the United States, but across the globe. John fought for human rights, equality and justice, and democracy for all. Just like Gandhi and Dr. King, Congressman Lewis shaped the world through his actions of nonviolence, and his life story will reverberate throughout history," said Bera.?
The Act allows the State Department along with the Government of India, to form an annual educational forum for scholars from both countries. Their aim will be to study the legacies of India's Father of the Nation and the man known as American Gandhi.?
Congressman John Lewis had been in charge of a delegation that visited India on the occasion of the?50th anniversary of Dr King's pilgrimage to the country.?
The visit inspired him and Lewis formed the Gandhi-King Exchange Act in an effort to use their philosophies to resolve conflicts and counter challenges in current policy.?