Rep. Ro Khanna would be the first Indian American to chair the Congressional India Caucus

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Rep. Ro Khanna would be the subsequent chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Individuals, he informed NBC Information in an unique interview final week. Khanna, a Democrat who has been representing California’s seventeenth Congressional District since 2017, is the primary Indian American to helm the bipartisan caucus.

“Once I began on this journey, in my 20s, there was an enormous novelty to having somebody of Indian origin even enter politics,” he mentioned. “The Indian American diaspora can play such an essential position in serving to strengthen the U.S.-India partnership. … I feel it is a historic second for our neighborhood. I feel we’re actually rising and coming into our personal as a powerful voice.”

The caucus was established in 1993 with an intent to strengthen relations between the U.S. and India and was beforehand chaired by Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., and former Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Ohio.

However as the primary particular person of Indian descent to guide it, Khanna hopes to take the caucus past its unique purpose. The Indian diaspora within the U.S. has its personal distinctive wants, he mentioned, and the place may very well be a chance to convey them to the forefront. 

“I’m going to attempt to make it about not simply us India, but additionally the Indian American neighborhood and highlighting the contributions of that neighborhood,” he mentioned. “I feel being Indian America and being a part of the neighborhood, realizing so lots of the neighborhood leaders, realizing the passions and pursuits of younger individuals, I’ll be capable of do this.”

Having spent a lot of his profession in Northern California's Silicon Valley, Khanna mentioned he’s been immersed in Indian American points for years. The rising tide of Hindu nationalism is one thing on the forefront of the diaspora’s collective consciousness; from skilled spheres to varsity campuses, studies of Islamophobia and casteism abound in South Asian areas. 

Khanna hasn’t shied away from these conversations, and his vocalness has up to now sparked outrage from right-wing Indian Individuals. In 2019, 230 Hindu and Indian American entities wrote a letter to Khanna, criticizing him for denouncing Hindu nationalism (also called Hindutva) and for advocating non secular equality on the subcontinent. 

“It’s the responsibility of each American politician of Hindu religion to face for pluralism, reject Hindutva, and converse for equal rights for Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhist & Christians,” Khanna tweeted. 

In addition they criticized Khanna for becoming a member of the Congressional Pakistan Caucus and for talking out towards Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi revoking the state of Kashmir’s autonomy. 

“In fact, now we have to meet the strategic partnership and now we have to respect the democratically elected management in India,” Khanna informed NBC Information. “I'll work to strengthen that whereas additionally upholding these human rights values.”

As pandemic aftereffects proceed to impression communities within the U.S. and India, backlogs for inexperienced playing cards and vacationer visas have grown to span years. Khanna hopes with the caucus, he might help alleviate that. 

“We’re attempting to determine, how will we allocate the sources to deal with this problem?” he mentioned. “However it is a high precedence for us.” 

Indian youngsters who got here to the U.S. with work visa-holding dad and mom are starting to face immigration problems with their very own. As they develop up and age out of protection below their dad and mom visas, many are left with no clear path to citizenship. Indian American-run organizations like Enhance the Dream have spent the previous couple of years lobbying the federal authorities to go laws correcting that. 

“These children of H1B are just like the Dreamers,” Khanna mentioned. “You could have children who got here right here after they had been 2 or 3. They don’t have citizenship. … Although they've grown up their entire life right here, they’re in a susceptible place.”

With each Republican and Democratic representatives serving on the India Caucus, together with Khanna’s co-chair Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., Khanna is aiming to mobilize bipartisan help for safeguarding younger adults who discover themselves on this place. 

Khanna held a city corridor on Saturday, bringing consciousness to Asian American and Pacific Islanders’ psychological well being within the wake of the lethal shootings in Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay, California. Although the shooters in each circumstances had been Asian males, Khanna mentioned they amplified a mounting concern of merely current in neighborhood areas as soon as thought-about protected.

With quite a few high-profile acts of violence towards Asians in the previous couple of years, neighborhood members are feeling extra “distant” from America than ever, he mentioned. 

“We had a lot outreach to our workplace from constituents…individuals afraid, involved, anxious about being Asian American in america,” he mentioned. “These shootings, although the perpetrator was Asian American, I feel they triggered for therefore many in our neighborhood a way of vulnerability.”

Khanna says taking up this better position within the India Caucus feels just like the fruits of generations of labor within the public sphere. His grandfather Amarnath Vidyalankar spent his life combating for India’s independence from British rule, even spending a number of years in jail for the trigger. Vidyalankar grew to become a member of India’s first Parliament after independence in 1947. 

Rising up with this information has formed Khanna’s sturdy beliefs in equality and non secular freedom, he mentioned, one thing he hopes to convey with him whereas chairing the caucus. 

“Due to my grandfather, I used to be influenced by Gandhi’s considering, by Nehru’s lovely speeches about liberal democracy, about pluralism,” he mentioned. “These are the values I champion. … I’ve spoken out the place I feel these values are being challenged.” 

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