Who is Shri Thanedar, the Indian-American who will escort PM Modi to US Congress?

The Congressman has also been invited by US President Joe Biden for the White House State Dinner, following PM Modi's address.

Influential Indian-American Congressman Shri Thanedar is set to escort Prime Minister Narendra Modi to his historic joint address to the US Congress on June 22. Calling it an “honour”, Thanedar said that he hoped that the prime minister would speak against the aggression by China and Russia.

Indian American Congressman Shri Thanedar (PTI)

The Congressman has also been invited by US President Joe Biden for the White House State Dinner, following PM Modi's address.

Who is Shri Thanedar?

1. Born in 1955 in Chikodi, a village outside Karnataka's Belgaum, Shri Thanedar is the first-time Democratic Congressman who represents the 13th Congressional District of Michigan - which includes much of Wayne County including the city of Detroit, Grosse Pointe, and Downriver.
2. Previously, he served in the Michigan House of Representatives. During this time, he helped pass the largest increase in per-pupil funding for public schools in Michigan.
3. Thanedar immigrated to the United States in 1979 from India after receiving a master's degree at the University of Mumbai in 1977. He then did a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Fontbonne University and PhD in Polymer chemistry from the University of Akron in 1982. Thanedar became a US citizen in 1988.
4. He first entered politics in 2017 and ran for Michigan governor, however, he lost. Later in 2020, he successfully ran for the Michigan state legislature. Thanedar was among the 100 democrats who introduced a new bill proposing the elimination of the country-based quota for US Green Cards and seeking reforms to the H-1B visa program. He is also an award-winning entrepreneur.
5. Thanedar last addressed the US Congress in 2016 during Obama's regime.