Better to have India’s friend in the White House than its adversary

By Dr Sampat Shivangi

I am grateful that I am elected as a delegate from my home state of Mississippi for the fifth time in a row, perhaps  the first Indian American to have had the opportunity to nominate President George W. Bush in 2004, our national hero John McCain at Minneapolis, MN in 2008, Governor Mitt Romney in Tampa, FL in 2012, and President Trump in 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio and again in 2020 in Jacksonville, FL.

President George W. Bush appointed me at US Health and Human Services and now President Trump as member, National Advisory Council at National Mental Health Services, SAMHSA in Washington DC.

Mississippi is a Republican state where the Governor and both the Houses are controlled by Republicans. I am one of the early Indian Americans to settle down here 45 years ago and have established close relationships with the GOP at the state and national level at the US Congress and Senate.

As most of the Indian Americans I was drawn to socialist, post-Nehruvian Soviet influence in early years in India. Then I had to change towards progressive ideas of the GOP.

If one analyzes the contributions of Democratic Party, US presidents to India including Carter, Clinton or Obama, it will be hard to find a single significant contribution or help to the cause of India. President Clinton made his historic visit to India, had promised to lift sanctions against India post its nuclear tests, but never did. President Bush got that done. President Obama made two trips to India without any significant contributions except great speeches. It was Bush who signed the US-India civil nuclear treaty, which stands as a major foreign policy milestone of his presidency.

Can anyone imagine President Trump supporting a Chinese-Pakistani propaganda in the UN Security Council or proceedings against India on Article 370 and CAA? Then, the whole world would have questioned India. It is a known fact that Trump and his Secretary of State went out of the way to support India.

Now look at Vice President Joe Biden. He has questioned Article 370 and CAA that were passed by Indian Parliament with a big majority and approved by the President of India. I do not understand how a US presidential candidate can question the internal affairs of the sovereign nation, India. Compare that to President Trump who went to India and showed solid support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India.

One has to remember Trump’s statement that India now has its best friend in the White House. It is good to have a friend of India in the White House than its adversary. Now, we the Indian Americans should support a friend of India in the November election as our gratitude towards our motherland.

 

(Dr Sampat Shivangi, a physician, has been appointed a Delegate 5th time to the Republican National Convention. He can be reached at [email protected])

Images courtesy of White House and thesatimes |

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