Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans

Rep. Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fl, Republican Co-Chair speaks on India Caucus Plans

Interview by Ela Dutt
News India-Times
January 28, 2005, pg. 12

Florida Republic Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (pronounced layton) has an ambitious agenda mapped out for the House Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans of which she is the new CO-Chair

The Democratic CO-Chair who has taken over from Rep. Joe Crowley (NY) is Rep. Gary Ackerman (NY), considered a longtime friend of India with a large Indian American population in his district.

In an interview with News India-Times, Ros-Lehtinen detailed an agenda that covered everything from regular India briefings for legislators to courting Indian American business leaders in this country.

"India is such an important country. We have got such great relations and I am very close to the Indian American community," Rep. Ros-Lehtinen said. "We want to continue with the great security cooperation that we have been having. India is a true ally. We also want to be able to give economic and other assistance that we can [for tsunami relief]," she added.

"This caucus really serves as a forum in which members can address the concerns of this vital and important nation," asserted the Congresswoman who is Chair of the Subcommittee on Middle East and Central Asia, and admitted she did not have as large an Indian American population in her 18th Congressional District of Florida compared to other districts in that state.

"We strive to strengthen bilateral relations," she said, "and we want to promote trade -- which is important for India and also important for the United States," adding, "Indian Americans are such great Americans but are also faithful to their nation of origin."

The caucus, she said, would pursue its objectives with the help of task forces on core critical issues such as healthcare and the growth of HIV-AIDS in India, technology and trade, economic development, whether humanitarian or otherwise on the one hand. And on the other, Indian American issues such as visas for relatives, a platform where other congressmen and women can learn about the community.

"Some of the activities we, Gary [Ackerman] and me are doing -- regular briefings on legislative issues and policy initiatives to caucus members by inviting US officials; updates on ongoing developments in India and on Indian Americans; hosting visiting dignitaries from India; and we want a platform for Indian Americans living here," she said.

"We also want to offer our members the opportunity to write op-ed columns and provide them with information for outreach. We also want to be arranging conferences for Indian American business leaders on developing trade and business with India. And we want to organize celebrations for important Indian events."

Rep. Ros-Lehtinen joined Rep. Ackerman and others in a letter sent recently to President Bush urging him not to sell F-16 fighter aircraft to Pakistan, she recalled. But she clarified that membership in India Caucus did not mean an anti-Pakistan stand.

"We are not going to be doing things on an 'us-vs-them' way. If you join the India Caucus, it does not mean you are anti Pakistan. It does not mean it is a slap in the face of the Pakistani community or government.

"But certainly India has been a very good friend of the United States. It does not mean you have to choose sides. But certainly, a great number of members of Congress have felt an affinity to this country."

The caucus, she emphasized, would work with the White House. "With all the nations that are getting into the nuclear club and this global war on terror, more and more we depend on allies like India to help us in that troubled area," Ros-Lehtinen said, explaining her reasons for wanting to be CO-Chair of the largest caucus in Congress whose membership now goes above 185.

She said she and Rep. Ackerman would be reaching out to new members of Congress to join the caucus.

"There are some great stories to be told about India and the Indian American community. It's [India] got such bad press because of outsourcing. Somehow, it has become the story about India when there are lots of other stories we could be talking about," she asserted.