US Leaders Salute India At 80
India-West News Desk
WASHINGTON, DC – Several US lawmakers sent messages highlighting the importance of India-US ties and the contributions of Indian Americans as India celebrated its 80th Independence Day on August 15. The White House did not issue a message for the occasion.
US Congressman Adam Smith (D-WA) described ties between New Delhi and Washington as increasingly important. “Two of the most important countries in the world, working together to try to create a more peaceful, prosperous, and stable society,” Smith said. He also praised the Indian-American community in the Puget Sound region for its contributions to education, government, business, innovation and technology.
US Congresswoman Kim Schrier (D-WA) said the Indian American community in Washington state was central to the state’s educational, cultural and economic life.
US Congressman Dusty Johnson (R-SD) said the world was stronger because India was “a stable, forward-looking, growing, and increasingly prosperous country.” He also said the US was stronger because of its more than five million Indian Americans and its relationship with India.
US Congressman Michael Baumgartner (R-WA), who visited India last year, placed the bilateral relationship in a wider security context. “I think the peace and stability of the world really rest in part on good, solid relations between America and India, as the world’s two largest democracies and two countries with different diversities and multiple religions,” he said.
US Representatives Suzan DelBene (D-WA) and Marilyn Strickland (D-WA) also sent messages. DelBene highlighted the Indian American community’s contributions to the regional economy and innovation, while Strickland praised India’s commitment to innovation, learning and community.
The messages came from lawmakers in both parties, with Democrats and Republicans highlighting the importance of the bilateral relationship and the contributions of the Indian American community. (IANS)
