Indian-American woman to run for US Congress from Virginia

Washington: Andhra Pradesh-born Manga Anantatmula who raised her voice against alleged discrimination in admission of Asians in IV League schools, has announced that she will run for US House of Representatives.

Anantatmula, who worked as a federal government contractor in defense acquisitions program management, has already become a presumptive nominee of Republican party from the 11th Congressional District of Virginia, making her the first Indian origin candidate to run for the House of Representatives from there.

Said to be a Democratic strong bastion, the 11th Congressional District comprises mostly of the affluent Fairfax County on the outskirts of Washington DC, has about 17 per cent Asian population, including an estimated 7 per cent Indian Americans.

Asian Americans, including Indian-Americans normally support Democratic party candidates, but she hopes to turn the tide in the November Congressional elections by defeating six-term incumbent Congressman Gerry Connolly. Political pundits call it a tall order.

“This time a large number of Democratic party supporters are moving towards the Republican party because of the current political situation and due to the successful policies of President Donald Trump,” Anantatmula, who filed her nominations on January 26, told PTI.

Anantatmula, who will formally launch her Congressional Campaign on Saturday from Herndon, a Virginia suburb of Washington DC, is a great supporter of President Donald Trump. For campaign purposes, she has expanded her first name Manga as “Making America Great Again”.

Running her campaign on the platform of reducing taxes, equal rights for women, helping the growth of small and medium business and affordable healthcare, Anantatmula says if elected to the House of Representatives she will strive to strengthen India-US relationship.

Anantatmula, in her interview, said that she considers herself as one among a new generation of Indian American and Hindu American leaders who do not become pawns in a globalist ideological agenda that undermines their own integrity as well as the national interests of their adoptive homeland.

Slamming Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, the first ever Indian American woman to be elected to House of Representatives, for tabling a resolution on Kashmir in the Congress, Anantatmula said such a move has caused “dismay” in the community.

“I will be your voice, not a noise,” Anantatmula says in her outreach to Indian American and Hindu community. In her recent tweets she has supported India’s stand on Kashmir and recently enacted Citizenship Amendment Act and building the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

Born in Andhra Pradesh, she did her schooling from Chennai and graduated from the Agra University before coming to the US as an immigrant.

Image courtesy of IANS

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