NEW DELHI: An American delegation led by US Congressmen Ro Khanna and Michael Waltz along with six others will take part in the Independence Day celebrations in Red Fort next week.
Khanna and Waltz are co-chairs of the bipartisan Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans. This is the first time a US delegation is attending the celebrations on August 15th.
“Both of us believe that the US-India relationship will be a defining one of the 21st Century. India is a key partner in ensuring multipolarity in Asia and the denial of China as a hegemon. We must continue to strive to make progress and build our partnership based on our shared founding values of democracy, freedom of the press and assembly, and human rights. This delegation is a historic opportunity to drive further collaboration and advance shared aims,” the two co-chairs said in a statement.
Khanna is a Democrat from California while Waltz a Republican from Florida. They will be accompanied by six other American legislators, Deborah Ross, Kat Cammack, Shri Thanedar, Jasmine Crockett, Rich McCormick and Ed Case.
“As co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, we are proud to lead a bipartisan delegation to India. We will be there to discuss how to strengthen economic and defence ties between our two counties, the oldest and largest democracies,” according to a US government release.
According to reports, the visit is likely to begin with the delegation first landing in Mumbai on August 10, where they are likely to meet corporate leaders including those with investments in the US, visit the Western Naval Command and also meet some members of the film industry. Their next stop will be Hyderabad where they will visit the Tata Boeing Aerospace Limited facility and a biotech company.
They will then arrive in Delhi where they are expected to meet PM Modi and EAM Dr S Jaishankar. Meanwhile, it is interesting to note that Ro Khanna’s grandfather, Amarnath Vidyalankar was an Indian freedom fighter who is said to have spent four years in prison along with Mahatma Gandhi.
Meanwhile, Khanna in March had expressed his dismay when Rahul Gandhi was expelled from Parliament.
"The expulsion of Rahul Gandhi from Parliament is a deep betrayal of Gandhian philosophy and India’s deepest values. This is not what my grandfather sacrificed years in jail for. PM Modi you have the power to reverse this decision for the sake of Indian democracy,’’ he had said.