Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday voiced concern over the surprising silence of the Indian-American community on issues straining India’s ties with the United States, as he welcomed a five-member US Congressional delegation in the capital.
“I do want to stress that one of the points we raised was why the Indian-American diaspora has been so silent about all of this,” Tharoor told reporters after the meeting. “One of the congresswomen said that not one phone call has come to her office from any Indian-American voter asking for her to support a change of policy, and this is something that is surprising.”
Tharoor said the visiting lawmakers — all Democrats, four of them from California, and led by Indian-origin Congressman Ami Bera — expressed “tremendous interest in India” and reiterated bipartisan support for the India–US strategic partnership.
The Congress MP noted that while the delegation had spoken “very warmly and positively of the relationship,” it was equally important for the diaspora to become more vocal. “If you care about the relationship with your motherland, then you also have to fight for it, speak for it and make more of an effort to press your political representatives to stand up for India,” he said.
The backdrop to the meeting is a series of recent setbacks in bilateral relations, including the US decision to impose a one-time $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa applications, higher tariffs on Indian exports such as garments and gems, and sanctions affecting India’s development of the Chabahar Port in Iran.
Still, Tharoor stressed that the visitors were “already friends of India, well disposed towards India” and that their reassurances reflected a strong foundation for the partnership despite policy frictions. “The most important message that came out from them,” he said, “was that a lot of American opinion, including in the US Congress, is very strongly committed to the Indian relationship.”
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