handful of influential US Senators launched the Senate India Caucus on Capitol Hill yesterday with a promise to further US-India relations.The caucus, co-chaired by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, New York Democrat, and Senator John Cornyn, Texas Republican, has 32 members.
The primary goals of the Senate caucus are to support the war on terror by cooperating on counter-terrorism and counter proliferation efforts; deepen the defence relationship between the United States and India; advance peace, stability and democracy in both nations and create opportunities for trade and investment that benefit both nations and strengthen existing economic ties.
“President Clinton’s visit to India sparked an opening that the Bush administration has certainly built on,” Ms Clinton said.
But, Mr Cornyn conceded, “Important differences do remain concerning India’s nuclear weapons programmes, the pace of India’s economic reforms, and trade.” The caucus, he said, would provide a forum for US Senators and Indian leaders to “expand on areas of agreement and candidly discuss issues of concern.”
Admitting she did not have a “plan” to resolve the nuclear differences between India and the US, Ms Clinton said the issue was one “for all humanity [to deal with]. It is imperative that we must include India, Pakistan and Israel to help us define an anti-proliferation agenda.”
Agreeing that Mr Clinton’s visit had “changed the course of our relations,” India’s ambassador in Washington, Lalit Mansingh, hailed the “very striking, strong bipartisan support” for the caucus.
Declaring that India’s economy had registered a 10.4 per cent GDP growth rate in the last quarter, Mr Mansingh said this was good news for both India and the US. “Our growing middle class has a hunger not only for McDonald’s and Coca [Cola]… they want to buy cars, computers.”
Pre-empting talk at the event about outsourcing of jobs to India, concerns that have dominated the presidential campaign, Mr Mansingh said a growth in India’s imports and exports was helping to create jobs in the USA.
Senate Majority leader Senator Bill Frist, Tennessee Republican, a physician, said he looked forward to the caucus “exploring improvements in opportunities… education, surgery.”
Senator Joe Lieberman, Connecticut Democrat, said the US and India had common geopolitical interests that “fate has thrust upon both nations.”
“Both India and the US are targets of terrorism,” he added.
In a message to Ms Clinton and Mr Cornyn, US Ambassador to India David Mulford said, “All of us in the US Embassy in New Delhi and in our consulates in Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata stand ready to assist you and your colleagues in these endeavours.”
Congressman Joe Wilson, South Carolina Republican, and co-chairman of the India Caucus, while not present at the event, later told the Tribune the formation of the Senate India Caucus “signifies a truly historic moment for the Indian American community.”
