US lawmakers introduce a bill to declare Diwali as a federal holiday in the country. If the bill gets approval, the US will observe Diwali as a holiday in its federal institutions.
Congresswoman Carolyn B Maloney from New York introduced the bill in the House of Representatives. A number of lawmakers including Indian-American Congresswoman Raja Krishnamoorthi co-sponsored the legislation.
Taking to Twitter, Maloney expressed excitement at the prospect of Diwali becoming a federal holiday in the US.
“I am so excited to introduce my Deepavali Day Act which would enshrine Diwali as a federal holiday. Let’s celebrate light over darkness, the triumph of good over evil, and the pursuit of knowledge over ignorance during this special time of year,” she wrote.
I am so excited to introduce my Deepavali Day Act which would enshrine Diwali as a federal holiday. Let’s celebrate light over darkness, the triumph of good over evil, and the pursuit of knowledge over ignorance during this special time of year!https://t.co/NOHU1mCcWc
— Carolyn B. Maloney (@RepMaloney) November 4, 2021
The lawmakers introduced the bill since a large Indian population lives in the US and celebrates Diwali.
Read more: Twitter’s top trend in Pakistan: Happy Diwali
Speaking on the occasion, Maloney revealed that she worked for many years to get Diwali “the respect that it deserves” in the US government. In 2016, she introduced a bill to create the Diwali stamp. After several years of effort, the US postal service issued a commemorative Diwali stamp. Consequently, this helped the US post office to raise money.
“Now I am ready to put the same hard work into advocating, as I did for the stamp, for enshrining Diwali next to Christmas, Memorial Day, Martin Luther King’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Juneteenth Day as a federal holiday,” she said.
“It is very appropriate that the world’s largest democracy and the world’s oldest democracy are such good friends and allies,” she further added on Indo-US ties.
Read more: Hotline between India and USA will continue under Trump
Modi celebrates Diwali with soldiers
Indians around the world are currently celebrating Diwali with full zeal. Indian PM Modi, as per tradition, arrived in Nowshera yesterday to celebrate Diwali with soldiers.
Each year he travels to India’s border points to celebrate Diwali and bring joy to the armed forces personnel posted at far-flung security check posts, away from their families and loved ones.
Prime Minister @narendramodi celebrating #Diwali with Indian Army Soldiers in Nowshera Sector of Jammu & Kashmir today. pic.twitter.com/RWyZ8xjSxt
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) November 4, 2021
This time around, PM Modi lauded the Indian soldiers for their efforts in protecting the nation. Moreover, he also praised them for their surgical strikes.
“It fills every Indian with pride on the role this brigade played during the surgical strike,” he said.
To clarify, India conducted a surgical strike on September 29, 2016, across the LoC as a response to an attack on an Army base in the Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir.