NRIs rally ahead of PM's US visit
Indian groups have come together for a sharper focus on issues of common interest, reports S Rajagopalan.
Ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit, major Indian associations in the US have come together on a common platform for a sharper focus on issues related to India and the nearly two million strong Indian American community.
Kicking off their new-found bonhomie with a gala dinner on Capitol Hill, the associations extracted assurances from US lawmakers that they will devote more time and energy to issues of dominant concern to the Indian community.
Now that Indo-US ties have acquired a momentum of their own, the associations have sought to advance the community's domestic agenda without losing the focus on major bilateral matters.
Immigration and visa problems faced by Indians, racial profiling, civil rights, health insurance woes and franchising laws form part of the agenda for new initiatives presented to the lawmakers.
About 20 Congressmen turned up for the event. The attendance was affected by a disruption caused by an emergency evacuation of Capitol Hill when a small plane mistakenly intruded into Washington's restricted airspace.
The associations that have come together include the Indian American Forum for Political Education, National Federation of Indian American Associations (NFIA), Association of Indians in America (AIA), Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO), American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) and the Indian Diamond and Colorstone Association (IDCA).
India Caucus co-chairs Gary Ackerman and Ilena Ros-Lehtinen promised greater efforts to advance
US-India relations and help improve the lives of Indians in the US. Ackerman had a subtle dig at the coming together of the associations, remarking that if he had been in the betting business, he would not have betted on this prospect for sure.
Frank Pallone, the founder of India Caucus and easily the darling of the community, vowed to keep up the fight against the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan. The Bush administration's offer to sell the planes to India as well "is no solution as it will only start an arms race all over again".
Others like Kendrick Meek from Florida highlighted the dangers of terrorism and commended the growing Indo-US military cooperation. California Democrat Howard Berman, ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, said he would work with the Indian community in the fight for fair and equitable immigration policies.
Other Congressmen to attend the event included Joe Wilson, Bobby Jindal, Thadeous McCotter, Christopher Shays, Steny Hoyer, Darrell Issa, Rush Holt, Bob Filner, Brad Sherman and Jim Moran.
"We have been duplicating our efforts and utterly confusing lawmakers. This year, we decided we will reach out other national associations and join with them to hold one big function," IAFPE president Nilesh Mehta said.
Abraham, founder president of NFIA and currently chairman of GOPIO, commented that it has taken the Indian associations about 20 years to present a unified picture in pursuit of a common agenda.