The Indian Panorama

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  • Indian Embassy in Guatemala Celebrates Mission LiFE and World Environment Day

    Hon’ble Vice President of Guatemala, H.E. Mr. Guillermo Castillo Reyes Plants a Sapling at India House

    GUATEMALA CITY (TIP): In a significant event marking the celebration of Mission LiFE and World Environment Day, H.E. Guillermo Castillo Reyes, Vice President of Guatemala and his team visited India House on 7 June 2023. The Vice President was warmly welcomed by Ambassador H.E. Dr. Manoj Kumar Mohapatra and other dignitaries from the Embassy.

    Hon’ble Vice President of Guatemala, H.E. Mr. Guillermo Castillo Reyes and Indian Ambassador to Guatemala Dr. Manoj Kumar Mohapatra planting a sapling at the India House.

    The highlight of the visit was a tree plantation ceremony organized as part of the Mission LiFE (Living in a Friendly Environment) initiative. The Vice President and Ambassador Mohapatra planted saplings to symbolize the commitment to environmental sustainability and promote a greener future. This gesture underscored the importance of preserving nature and mitigating the impact of climate change.

    Members of the Delegation with H.E. Mr. Guillermo Castillo Reyes, Vice President of Guatemala and Indian Ambassador to Guatemala Dr. Manoj Kumar Mohapatra attending tree plantation.

    Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment) is an innovative initiative undertaken by the Government of India to address the pressing global issue of environmental sustainability. As part of this initiative, Embassy of India in Guatemala, recognizing the urgent need to protect the environment and ensure a greener future, is actively promoting and implementing eco-friendly practices, aiming to create a positive impact on the environment and inspire others to adopt sustainable living. The aim of Mission LiFE is to foster a sense of responsibility and commitment towards the environment. By actively engaging in sustainable practices, the mission seeks to contribute to the global efforts in mitigating climate change, preserving biodiversity, and promoting a healthier planet for future generations.

    Dr. Manoj Kumar Mohapatra in discussion with H.E. Mr. Guillermo Castillo Reyes and other dignitaries.

    During the visit, fruitful discussions were held on strengthening the bilateral relationship between Guatemala and India. The focus was on exploring avenues for mutual cooperation in the areas of Science & Technology, Education, and Community Development. The discussions on science and technology emphasized the potential for joint research projects, technology transfer, and innovation exchanges. The exchange of ideas and experiences in the field of science and technology laid the foundation for future cooperation in these areas. Both nations recognized the significance of educational exchanges and capacity building initiatives to foster greater understanding and promote cultural ties. The discussions explored possibilities for student and faculty exchange programs, scholarships, and joint academic projects, aimed at nurturing a stronger educational partnership between Guatemala and India. Community development was also a focal point of the discussions, reflecting the shared commitment of both nations to uplift marginalized communities and promote inclusive growth. Both sides expressed their keenness to foster closer ties in these key sectors to benefit the people of both nations.

    Hon’ble Vice President of Guatemala, H.E. Mr. Guillermo Castillo Reyes delivering a speech at the dinner reception. 

    The evening concluded with a dinner hosted by Ambassador Dr. Manoj Kumar Mohapatra in honor of Vice President Guillermo Castillo Reyes. The dinner provided an opportunity for informal exchanges and further discussions on enhancing bilateral cooperation.

    Members of the delegation at the dinner reception with H.E. Mr. Guillermo Castillo Reyes and Dr. Manoj Mohapatra. 

    The visit of Vice President Guillermo Castillo Reyes to India House on World Environment Day served as a powerful testament to the shared commitment of Guatemala and India towards preserving the environment, fostering innovation, and building a brighter future for both nations. The discussions held during the visit were characterized by a spirit of collaboration and mutual respect, highlighting the commitment to further strengthen bilateral ties.

  • Prime Minister Modi’s  historic state visit to US will strengthen ties between the two democracies

    Prime Minister Modi’s  historic state visit to US will strengthen ties between the two democracies

    Modi in his  address to the joint meeting of the US Congress will speak about his vison for India’s future and  the global challenges US and India face

    I.S. Saluja

    NEW YORK (TIP): A warm welcome awaits  Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his historic state visit to the United States from June 21 to 24 at the invitation of President Joe Biden. It would be Modi’s sixth visit to the US since he became Prime Minister in 2014, but his first official state visit, a rare honor extended to only two Indian leaders before him — President S Radhakrishnan in June 1963 and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in November 2009.

    Modi will also be making history when he addresses a joint meeting of the US Congress on June 23 — one of the highest honors Washington affords to foreign dignitaries — for the second time in seven years. It will make him only the third world leader, outside of Israel, to do so. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries have invited Modi “to share your vision for India’s future and speak to the global challenges our countries both faces.

    Modi will fly into Washington on June 21 after attending the International Yoga Day celebrations on the north lawns of the UN complex in New York. The official visit will begin with the Bidens hosting a state dinner for Modi on June 22.

    According to the White House Historical Association, this would be the 11th state dinner that a US President is hosting for an Indian leader, but in the last 75 years, only Radhakrishnan and Manmohan Singh have been accorded the honor of an official state visit.

    Over the next two days, the two leaders would spend several hours together, beginning with a welcome ceremony on the South Lawns of the White House on the morning of June 22 attended by several thousand Indian Americans.

    This is expected to be one of the biggest White House welcome ceremonies, with the exception of the 2008 papal visit when, according to record, more than 13,500 people attended.

    More than 1,500 Indian Americans are reported to be planning to come to Washington from the New York and New Jersey areas. Over 500 Indian Americans each are coming from states like California, Illinois, Texas, Georgia and Florida.

    After the welcome ceremony, which would be addressed by the two leaders, Biden and Modi are then expected to walk towards the Oval Office for a one-on-one talk followed by a delegation-level meeting in the Cabinet meeting room.

    Vice President Kamala Harris would host the Prime Minister for lunch on June 23 at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department, which is being co-hosted by the Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the Second Gentleman. The two leaders are likely to deliver remarks during the luncheon. In between, several Cabinet ministers in the Biden administration and key leaders are likely to call on the Prime Minister for meetings. Interaction with the diaspora and the business community is one of the hallmarks of the Prime Ministers’ overseas trips, which is expected to consume most of the day’s proceedings on June 23. Modi will also address CEOs of top US companies at John F Kennedy Centre in Washington.

    Leading community organization Indiaspora and the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) are jointly hosting a speech by Modi on “We The People: Celebrating the US-India Partnership” at Ronald Reagan Center in Washington on June 23.

    A reception at the Hall of Nations Terrace (Kennedy Center) will follow the Prime Minister’s address.

    More than 600 community members are planning to gather at Freedom Plaza in front of the Willard Intercontinental in Washington located near the White House where the PM will be staying during his visit.

    (With inputs from agencies)

  • USAID Administrator Samantha Power meets World Bank President Ajay Banga; discusses climate finance, financial support to Ukraine

    USAID Administrator Samantha Power meets World Bank President Ajay Banga; discusses climate finance, financial support to Ukraine

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): USAID Administrator Samantha Power has met World Bank President Ajay Banga and discussed a slew of crucial matters, including climate finance, debt sustainability and economic support to Ukraine, according to an official statement.

    The meeting happened on Wednesday, June 7, and the two also discussed about Banga’s vision for the World Bank and the opportunities for more collaborations with United States Agency for International Development (USAID), given the scale of issues the world faces. “USAID Administrator Samantha Power met World Bank President Ajay Banga on Wednesday to discuss debt sustainability, climate finance, anti-corruption efforts, including how digitization initiatives can increase accountability, and economic support for Ukraine,” the statement said.

    According to a readout of the call, the two explored ways to engage the private sector in addressing global challenges, enhance job creation to generate sustainable economic growth, and strengthen internal measurement and evaluations to improve the effectiveness of aid and development efforts.

    Power and Banga also discussed access to multilateral finance for countries to build resilience before a disaster, respond effectively during the immediate aftermath, and rebuild post-disaster, said the statement.
    Samantha Power tweeted:
    Samantha Power
    @PowerUSAID
    Great to meet with Ajay Banga in his new role as president of
    @WorldBank
    We discussed his vision for tackling the many interconnected global challenges we face & our work together on issues including debt sustainability, anti-corruption & climate change. https://usaid.gov/news-information/press-releases/jun-07-2023-administrator-samantha-power-meets-world-bank-group-president-ajay-banga
    (With inputs from PTI)

  • Upcoming State visit will affirm the deep and close partnership between India and US: White House

    Upcoming State visit will affirm the deep and close partnership between India and US: White House

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): The upcoming Official State visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the US will affirm the deep and close partnership between the two countries and the warm bonds of family and friendship that link Americans and Indians together, the White House said Wednesday, June 7. Prime Minister Modi will embark on his first state visit to the US at the invitation of President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden in June. The US president and the First Lady will also host Modi at a state dinner on June 22.
    “The upcoming visit we believe will affirm the deep and close partnership between the United States and India and the warm bonds of family and friendship that link Americans and Indians together,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at her daily news conference.
    “The Prime Minister and the President will discuss ways to strengthen our two countries, shared commitment to a free, open, prosperous and secure Indo-Pacific and our shared resolve to elevate our strategic technology partnership including defense. So that certainly will be talked about in clean energy and space,” she said responding to a question on the State Visit.
    “But I’m just not going to get into details on what the particulars will be. And as we get closer to June 22nd, we certainly have more to share,” she said in response to a question.
    Modi’s visit to the US comes ahead of the G20 Summit being hosted by India in September.
    After becoming Prime Minister in 2014, Modi has made more than half a dozen trips to the United States for bilateral and multilateral meetings with all three American presidents, Barack Obama, Donald Trump and now Biden, but this is for the first time he has been invited for an official state visit, a privilege accorded to America’s close friends and allies.
    His last visit to Washington was in September 2021 at the invitation of President Biden for a bilateral meeting. He had also attended the first in-person Quad Leaders Summit hosted by Biden.
    (Source: PTI)

  • India has incredibly important role to play in world: Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal

    India has incredibly important role to play in world: Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): India has an incredibly important role to play in the world, powerful Indian-American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal said Tuesday, , June 6, adding the two countries face many similar challenges in their respective affairs, but have some great opportunities to work together to address them.

    She said India-US relations are very important on multiple levels — ”we are two democracies. Our constitutions both start with ‘We, the People’. We have similar sets of values historically, and we have similar challenges”.

    ”It is clear that India has an incredibly important role to play in the world.,” Jayapal told PTI on the sidelines of the Indian-American Impact Summit here. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been invited by the US President Joe Biden for an official state visit that includes a state dinner on June 22.

    Modi would also address a joint session of the Congress the same day, making him only the third world leader, other than those from Israel, to make such an address twice.

    ”We have similar challenges in terms of efforts to try and limit participation of all individuals, of all people, regardless of religion or race, or gender. I think there are many similar challenges, but also some incredible opportunities for the two countries to work together,” Jayapal said in response to a question.

    The Congresswoman said she has raised concerns about the human rights situation in India in the past.

    “I think it’s very clear to anybody who knows me that my focus has always been on lifting up the human rights of every person. That continues to be a concern of mine. I raise it here in the United States. We have human rights concerns here with our own government. I’ve been very clear about those as well over time,” she said.

    ”I think that in order for India to really prosper and reach its fullest potential, we need to make sure that we keep the country as an open democracy. One that respects the rights of all religious minorities. One that respects the ability for people to be LGBTQ, one that respects freedom of the press. I hope that Prime Minister Modi understands his responsibility as the leader of such a great country to be able to protect those rights for everyone,” Jayapal said. Earlier, participating in a live podcast at the start of the Indian-American Impact Summit, the Congresswoman called for a legislative agenda for the Indian Americans.

    ”I think it would be good to have a legislative agenda for our community that says, here are three or four important things that we would like to get passed,” she said.
    (Source: PTI)

  • PM Modi to address Indian Americans in Washington on June 23: Community leader

    PM Modi to address Indian Americans in Washington on June 23: Community leader

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a gathering of Indian Americans from across the US in Washington on June 23 on the role of diaspora in India’s growth story, an eminent community leader has said. Prime Minister Modi is visiting the US from June 21-24 at the invitation of US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. The US president and the First Lady will host Modi at a state dinner on June 22. The visit also includes an address to the Joint Session of the Congress on June 22.

    Modi will address an invitation-only gathering of diaspora leaders from across the country on the evening of June 23, Indian American community leader Dr. Bharat Barai said.

    The prestigious Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, which has hosted several high-profile meetings in the past, has been reserved for the prime minister’s address. The venue, named after former US President Ronald Reagan, has a capacity of 900 people, Barai told PTI on Wednesday.

    It is the first federal building in Washington designed for both governmental and private sector purposes.

    Preparations are in full swing for the only community event to be held during the visit of the prime minister. A national organizing committee of 25 eminent people has been constituted, he said.

    The event would be hosted by US India Community Foundation. A co-host committee has also been set up. The community has been given wide representation in both committees, Barai said.

    He said earlier the plans were to host Modi at a giant stadium in Chicago for him to address 40,000 Indian Americans. But because of the scheduling issues, it could not be finalized. The prime minister finally gave his consent to address the community on the evening of June 23, soon after which he is likely to leave the US for India, he said. Meanwhile, two US lawmakers spoke in the US House of Representatives this week about the significance of Modi’s visit to the US.

    “I take this opportunity to address a very important visit by Prime Minister Modi this week. I am excited that this person is coming to America to extend goodwill between our two nations in one of the most strategically important relationships we have in the world,” Congressman Rich McCormick said on Tuesday, June 6. Congressman Joe Wilson from North Carolina said the existing US-India partnership has been highlighted by Modi being warmly welcomed here in the House Chamber, Madison Square Garden, and ‘Howdy, Modi’ in Houston.

    “With India as the largest democracy and America as the oldest democracy, both have shared values of democracy with rule of law opposing authoritarians with the rule of the gun,” he said.
    (Source: PTI)

  • India, US need to have much stronger relationship, says Congressman Shri Thanedar

    India, US need to have much stronger relationship, says Congressman Shri Thanedar

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): India and the US must work on making bilateral ties stronger and focus on collaboration on education and cultural fronts, Indian-American Congressman Shri Thanedar has said.
    He expressed hope that the two sides will talk about cooperation in the education and business sectors and find ways to strengthen the bilateral relationship during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US this month.
    “As an Indian American Congressman, I am excited to welcome him to the United States Congress and to this country as a leader of the largest democracy in the world,” Thanedar told PTI on Tuesday, June 6, ahead of Modi’s visit. Prime Minister Modi is visiting the US from June 21-24 at the invitation of President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. The US president and the First Lady will also host Modi at a state dinner on June 22.
    “Not only was I born there in India, but I also grew up in India. I believe that the United States and India, the two large democracies, need to have a much stronger relationship,” said Thanedar, who grew up in Belgaum.
    “We should also talk about immigration issues, the visa issues, the Green Card backlogs. I think it’s about time that the two nations worked on making the relationship even stronger,” said the US representative from Michigan’s 13th congressional district.
    He said the country is currently having a broken immigration system that needs to be fixed.
    “We need a bipartisan resolution of this issue and our immigration system is broken. That needs to be fixed. We haven’t really worked on immigration reform for quite some time now .. since the mid-90s. It’s time that the two parties put their heads together and make a meaningful immigration reform including legal immigration,” he said.
    Currently, some countries have a long backlog of 10-12 years that is creating a lot of hardship for families, Thanedar said.
    “Businesses are looking for a skilled workforce. Our economy cannot grow without a skilled workforce. We need to train Americans as much as we can in terms of giving them the skills to get good-paying jobs,” he said.
    “At the same time, we have a larger population of South Asians and other science graduates and postgraduates and they are essential for America’s economic growth.
    “I want to do whatever I can to facilitate that, so the American economy can continue to grow, our GDP can grow even at a higher rate and we create more jobs for Americans,” Thanedar said.
    (Source: PTI)

  • Two Indian Americans among those running for 2024 US President

    Two Indian Americans among those running for 2024 US President

    NEW YORK (TIP): Former Vice President Mike Pence and former New Jersey governor Chris Christie are among those who have announced their announced they are running for president, joining former president Donald Trump in a growing list of Republicans seeking to unseat Democratic President Joe Biden.
    Here is a list of 2024 hopefuls, as on June 8, in both the Democratic and Republican parties.
    REPUBLICAN PARTY
    DONALD TRUMP
    Trump, 76, announced his election campaign last November as he faced some of the loudest criticism yet from within his Republican Party over his support for far-right candidates who were defeated in the midterm elections. Like Biden, he remains unpopular with great swaths of the electorate. But he has retained a firm grip on his base and strengthened his standing in polls after he was indicted by New York prosecutors in connection with an alleged hush money payment to a porn star.
    Trump is the front-runner in the Republican race.
    RON DESANTIS
    After the glitch-filled launch of his campaign on Twitter, DeSantis has moved to further position himself to the right of Trump on a number of key issues. DeSantis, 44, who ranks second to Trump in most polls, has already signed bills imposing new restrictions on abortion and further loosening gun laws, positions that may help him in the Republican primaries but would likely hurt him among independent and more moderate voters in the general election. His battle with Walt Disney Co over its Florida theme park has unnerved some donors, as has his mixed messaging on continued US support for Ukraine.
    TIM SCOTT
    The only Black Republican US senator has low name recognition outside his home state of South Carolina, but his optimism and focus on unifying his divided party have helped him draw a contrast with the more aggressive approach by Trump and DeSantis. Scott supporters, however, acknowledge that while his sunny demeanor is a selling point it may not be enough to win.
    Scott, 57, has only 1% of support among registered Republicans, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling. He launched his campaign on May 22.
    NIKKI HALEY
    A former governor of South Carolina and Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, Haley, 51, has emphasized her relative youth compared to Biden and Trump as well as her background as the daughter of two Indian immigrants. Haley has gained a reputation in the Republican Party as a solid conservative who has the ability to address issues of gender and race in a more credible fashion than many of her peers. She has also pitched herself as a stalwart defender of American interests abroad. She attracts about 4% support among Republican voters.
    VIVEK RAMASWAMY
    A former biotechnology investor and executive, Ramaswamy, 37, launched a firm in 2022 to press companies to abandon environmental, social and corporate governance initiatives. He announced in February he was running for the Republican nomination. The political outsider has excited a lot of grassroots chatter as a potential alternative to Trump but he remains a longshot candidate.
    MIKE PENCE
    Trump’s vice president has broken with his former boss over the 2021 attack by Trump supporters on the US Capitol, while Pence was inside the building. Pence, 63, says “history will hold Trump accountable” for his role in the attack. However, Pence, like other Republican White House hopefuls, came to Trump’s defense after New York prosecutors charged him in the hush money case, underscoring the fear of alienating Trump’s supporters in the primaries. Pence, a staunch conservative, is appealing directly to the evangelical Christian community. He will launch his campaign in Iowa on June 7.
    CHRIS CHRISTIE
    Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, 60, who advised Trump’s White House campaign in 2016 only to become a vocal critic of the former president, enters the race as a decided underdog. Only 1% of Republicans said he would be their preferred 2024 nominee in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted from May 9-15. He plans to launch his bid on June 6.
    ASA HUTCHINSON
    The former Arkansas governor launched his bid for the White House in April with a call for Trump to step aside to deal with his indictment. Hutchinson, 72, has touted his experience leading the deeply conservative state as proof he can deliver on policies Republican voters care about, citing tax cuts and job creation initiatives as particular sources of pride. Still, his name recognition remains limited outside Arkansas.
    DOUG BURGUM
    Burgum, who is serving his second term as North Dakota’s governor, plans to launch his campaign on June 7. Burgum, 66, built a successful software business before selling it to Microsoft Corp in 2001. A proponent of low taxes and fewer regulations, he will likely seek to portray himself as a traditional conservative who will focus on the economy and national security.
    DEMOCRATIC PARTY
    JOE BIDEN
    Biden, 80, already the oldest US president ever, will have to convince voters he has the stamina for another four years in the White House, amid voter concerns about his age and his poor approval ratings. Biden allies say he is running because he feels he is the only Democratic candidate who can defeat Trump.
    In announcing his candidacy, he declared it was his job to defend American democracy. He does not face a serious threat from a Democratic challenger.
    MARIANNE WILLIAMSON
    The best-selling author and self-help guru has launched her second, longshot bid for the White House. She ran as a Democrat in the 2020 presidential primary but dropped out of the race before any votes had been cast. She launched her latest campaign on March 23.
    ROBERT KENNEDY JR
    An anti-vaccine activist, Kennedy, 69, is making a longshot bid to challenge Biden for the Democratic nomination. He is the son of US Senator Robert F Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1968 during his own presidential bid. Kennedy has been banned from YouTube and Instagram for spreading misinformation about vaccines and the Covid-19 pandemic.

  • Indian-origin wins big in Korean survival drama Squid Game at Singapore company dinner-dance

    Indian-origin wins big in Korean survival drama Squid Game at Singapore company dinner-dance

    SINGAPORE (TIP): An Indian-origin has won SGD18,888 in cash at the company’s dinner-and-dance event in the hit South Korean survival drama Squid Game, where players compete to win life-altering rewards, but minus the deadly stakes. The prize money is equivalent to one and half years’ worth of his salary at the heavy vehicle leasing firm Pollisum Engineering which hosted the event last Saturday, reported by media.
    Selvam Arumugam, 42, had not heard of the show before.
    Selvam works as a rigger and signalman, inspecting and maintaining crane and lifting equipment to ensure the safety of lifting operations at construction sites for Pollisum Engineering which gave out a total of SGD100,000 in prize money during the event.
    Selvam, who studied up to Secondary 1 in India and joined the company in 2015, supports 15 family members back home. His parents and two brothers have died, leaving behind their wives and a total of seven children. He also provides for his in-laws.
    Selvam said he will use the prize money to build a family home in India – the family currently lives in a rental flat – and help his brothers’ children pay for their studies.
    “When I found out that I had won, I couldn’t believe it… I called my entire family to tell them about this good news,” he said in Tamil.
    “My wife thought it was a joke at first until (my friend) spoke to her. All of them were celebrating and crying at the same time. This will be a moment that we will never forget for our entire lives,” Selvam added.
    In the Netflix series, hundreds of cash-strapped contestants compete in children’s games for a huge cash prize while risking their lives in the process.
    Players at the dinner and dance sported red tracksuit jackets with number tags, while game masters wore red hooded jumpsuits, like characters in the drama series.
    A giant inflatable ball filled with money hung from the ceiling in full view of the players, similar to the show’s piggy bank.
    Despite not understanding the rules of the games, he tried his best, said Selvam, who has a wife and three teenage children. He first came to Singapore to work in 2007 from Tamil Nadu.
    He copied what players in front of him were doing and ran as fast as he could during the Red Light, Green Light game and managed to escape elimination.
    In a TikTok video of the event, Selvam is seen falling to his knees and covering his face with his hands in disbelief when he learnt he had won the top prize. He won SGD18,888 (more than Rs 11.5 lakh) in cash.
    The company’s annual dinner and dance was attended by 210 employees, including mechanics, drivers and sales staff.
    Executive director Chris Ang said the company wanted to reward its workers as it has been doing well and expanding in the past two years.

  • Princess Sophia Duleep Singh’s UK home honored with commemorative Blue Plaque

    Princess Sophia Duleep Singh’s UK home honored with commemorative Blue Plaque

    LONDON (TIP): Princess Sophia Duleep Singh, the daughter of Maharaja Duleep Singh – the last ruler of the Sikh empire – and the goddaughter of Queen Victoria, was honored with a commemorative Blue Plaque in London on Friday, May 26. The Blue Plaque scheme, run by the English Heritage charity, honors the significance of particular buildings associated with historical figures. In memory of the British-Indian Princess, it now adorns Faraday House, which was granted to Sophia and her sisters as a grace and favor apartment at Hampton Court Palace southwest of London by Queen Victoria. “As a political journalist, I thought I knew the story of the suffragettes, and then I found this extraordinary woman and she blew me away,” said Anita Anand, the author of the biography ‘Sophia: Princess, Suffragette, Revolutionary’.
    “As the last princess of the Sikh Empire, goddaughter of Queen Victoria, society darling and fashion icon, a life of comfort and celebrity was hers for the taking, but she chose a harder path. Using her international fame and influence, putting herself in physical danger, she fought for the right of women to vote. Campaigning with unrelenting ferocity, loyalty and selflessness, she moved the dial,” she said.
    Named after another former resident, the eminent English physicist Michael Faraday (1791–1867), Faraday House was Princess Sophia’s main residence for over four decades.
    Furnished to her luxurious taste, the house – or “Apartment 41” to give it its grace-and-favor title – was Princess Sophia’s base during the many years she campaigned as a suffragette for women’s voting rights.
    Peter Bance, a British Sikh historian, art collector and author of ‘Sovereign, Squire and Rebel: Maharajah Duleep Singh & the Heirs of the Lost Kingdom’ who campaigned for the plaque said, “I came upon the story of the princess when I was researching her father Duleep Singh at a time when no one had heard about her. It was as if her story had been erased from history. But once a forgotten princess, she has now become an icon.” Uniquely spanning the very different worlds of the British court and the movement for women’s suffrage in the early 20th century, Sophia Duleep Singh made full use of her royal title and public persona.
    “I remember my godmother Princess Sophia telling me about the suffragettes and how women weren’t always allowed to vote as we walked through the gardens at Hampton Court together. And then, as a child, I made a solemn vow to her that I would always exercise my right to vote, and I always have,” said Drovna Oxley, goddaughter to Princess Sophia.
    The princess, who died aged 71 in August 1948, dared the authorities to punish her as she shrewdly chose which political protests to attend, ones they could not ignore. Her residence at Faraday House was not without controversy as reflected in a much-publicized photograph of her selling ‘The Suffragette’ paper outside Hampton Court Palace, which led to her eviction from the property being discussed in court and government circles.
    The idea was eventually dismissed as it would have dragged the Crown into the parliamentary suffrage debates of the time. Faraday House was also raided by bailiffs seeking redress for her non-payment of taxes after she joined the Women’s Tax Resistance League (WTRL) in 1911.
    “Princess Sophia was a fascinating and important figure, but her story was not at all well known in the decades following her death. I’m delighted that interest in her has grown in recent years. English Heritage hopes that our blue plaque will help ensure that she’s firmly established in the pantheon of great campaigners for women’s suffrage,” said Anna Eavis, Curatorial Director at English Heritage.
    Duleep Singh was the last Maharaja of Punjab as the son and heir of Maharaja Ranjit Singh who was exiled to England as a teenager in 1854. He shared a close bond with Queen Victoria until he grew critical of the British Empire in later life. It was on his request that the Queen agreed to be the godmother of his daughter Sophia and went on to grant use of Faraday House to the family for the rest of their lives even as her relationship with their father soured. During her life, Sophia maintained a strong connection with India and her ashes were taken to India by her sister Bamba in 1949.

     

  • Incredibly rich diaspora truly an asset to both countries, says Biden’s top aide Neera Tanden

    Incredibly rich diaspora truly an asset to both countries, says Biden’s top aide Neera Tanden

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): The “incredibly rich” diaspora is truly an asset to both India and the United States, Neera Tanden, a top Indian-American aide to President Joe Biden has said as the White House prepares to host Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an Official State Visit next month.

    Indian Americans, who constitute about one per cent of the US population, and are said to be having the highest per capita income among various ethnic groups in the US, over the years have played a key role in strengthening the India-US relationship, a fact that has been acknowledged at the highest level, including by President Biden.

    One thing that is truly an asset to both countries is the incredibly rich diaspora here in the United States. I have been engaged with organizations that have really focused on the diaspora in the United States, and the rich connections between Indian Americans, Indians who’ve been born here, who are first generation, second generation, and their families in India. This is a major asset to the relationship, 52-year-old Tanden, senior advisor and staff secretary to President Joe Biden, told PTI in an exclusive interview.

    Friday was her last day as the senior advisor and staff secretary to the President. From Monday, Tanden would take charge as the White House Domestic Policy Advisor, making her one of the most powerful Indian Americans in the White House. She replaces former National Security Advisor and former US Ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, as the White House Domestic Policy Advisor.

    I’m excited for the (Indian) State Visit, Tanden said in response to a question. Modi has been invited by President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden for an Official State Visit on June 22. I’m really also excited for us to highlight the deep relationships between Indian Americans and their families in India and really how we learn back and forth. That’s not just a one-way conversation. We learn a lot from them, and they learn from us. It’s a big asset to the relationship that those organizations’ voices are so strong, and they are all throughout the country, not just on the east coast or the West Coast, but really, all throughout the country, Tanden said.

    Tanden started working in politics and policy in government in the late 1990s. She has been working in Washington at different levels for the last 25 years.

    I am just really proud of the role Indian Americans are playing. There were very few Indian Americans in the Clinton White House. There are very few Indian Americans in the Clinton administration. A lot of families have pushed their children in other directions, sometimes in medicine, business, and other areas. But what’s really gratifying is to be in the White House and sit at the table, and see not just Asian Americans, but a lot of Indian Americans, she said. Tanden has served in both the Obama and Clinton administrations, as well as presidential campaigns and think tanks. Most recently, she was the President and CEO of the Center for American Progress and the Center for American Progress Action Fund.

    Tanden previously served as senior advisor for health reform at the Department of Health and Human Services, working on President Obama’s health reform team in the White House.

    So just yesterday I had a meeting with Dr Arti Prabhakar on artificial intelligence, she said.

    She is an Indian American woman. I’m an Indian American woman. That’s incredibly unusual. I do a lot of work with Vinai Reddy, who’s the president’s chief speechwriter, and very close to the president, she said.

    So, I feel like I’m just incredibly proud of how much the Indian American community is contributing, South Asians are contributing to this administration, but more importantly, contributing to the country. Our voices are being heard in halls around the country, not just in medicine or business or tech, really at the highest levels of this government and more and more in Congress,” she said.

    I think what’s really important is that the President feels so strongly that our policies are better when everyone is at the table, and we bring our lived experiences. Some of my lived experiences are being an immigrant, the daughter of immigrants, and so I think that’s the president’s commitment, the vice president’s commitment.”

    “Obviously, we’re incredibly proud of having the daughter of an Indian immigrant as well as the vice president. So, I feel like our voices are louder than ever, she said. President Biden has appointed a historic large number of Indian Americans in the Administration. Is this because of his love towards Indian Americans or the merit of the Indian Americans? She was asked. Maybe both, Tanden responded.

    I really think the president is ensuring that everyone is represented and at the same time, I think Indian American leaders are demonstrating their value to the process. The president does a lot of work with Dr Vivek Murthy. He worked with him during the campaign. Vivek, I know, is very close to the president,… because Vivek is a great leader on healthcare issues. As Surgeon General during the Obama administration and Surgeon General in this administration he is just demonstrating profound leadership, Tanden said.
    (Source: PTI)

  • Boris Johnson offers unredacted WhatsApp messages to UK Covid inquiry

    Boris Johnson offers unredacted WhatsApp messages to UK Covid inquiry

    LONDON (TIP): Boris Johnson, who was the British prime minister during the height of COVID, on June 2 offered to hand over all his unredacted WhatsApp messages to the public inquiry set up to investigate the government’s handling of the pandemic.
    The latest move further complicates matters as it bypasses the Rishi Sunak-led government’s decision to seek a judicial review into inquiry chair Baroness Heather Hallett’s order for all such messages to be handed over.
    After missing a deadline on Thursday for the handover of the documents which include Johnson’s messages, the UK Cabinet Office said in a statement that government officials should not be required to provide material that is “irrelevant”. “While I understand the government’s position, I am not willing to let my material become a test case for others when I am perfectly content for the inquiry to see it,” said Johnson in a letter addressed to Baroness Hallett. The 58-year-old former prime minister said he was handing over “all unredacted WhatsApps” he provided to the Cabinet Office and said he has asked it to hand over his notebooks, which he no longer has access to.
    He also said that he would “like to do the same with any material that may be on an old phone, which I have previously been told I can no longer access safely”.
    Johnson says he has asked the government for help to turn on the device securely to hand over the material. It relates to security concerns raised during his time as prime minister after it emerged that the particular phone number had been freely available on the internet for 15 years, which led to him acquiring a new phone. The Opposition Labour Party has accused the government of a cover-up over its refusal to hand over all the messages demanded by the public inquiry.
    The UK Cabinet Office has insisted that it is “fully committed” to its obligations to the inquiry, but that it was “firmly of the view that the inquiry does not have the power to request unambiguously irrelevant information that is beyond the scope of this investigation”.
    “It represents an unwarranted intrusion into other aspects of the work of government. It also represents an intrusion into their legitimate expectations of privacy and protection of their personal information,” the Cabinet Office said in its letter to the inquiry. (PTI)

  • Amid shrinking freedoms, Hong Kongers commemorate Tiananmen anniversary privately

    HONG KONG (TIP): As the 34th anniversary of China’s Tiananmen Square crackdown approaches on June 4, many in Hong Kong are trying to mark the day in private ways in the shadow of a law that prosecuted leading activists in the city’s pro-democracy movement.
    For decades, Hong Kong was the only place in China where people held large-scale commemorations about the 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in which tanks rolled into the heart of Beijing and hundreds, and possibly thousands, of people, were killed.
    People gathered in Hong Kong’s Victoria Park annually to mark the June 4 anniversary with a candlelight vigil.
    In 2020, thousands defied a police ban to hold the event.
    This Sunday, Victoria Park will be occupied instead by a carnival organised by pro-Beijing groups to celebrate Hong Kong’s handover to Chinese rule in 1997.
    Organisers say it will feature a bazaar with food from across China.
    As the government arrested activists, publishers and opposition politicians under the sweeping 2020 National Security Law, public shows of the opposition have mostly vanished. As authorities erase reminders of the massacre, some Hong Kongers are fighting to keep memories alive by distributing LED candles, writing about the crackdown, or buying books about it. In previous years, Richard Tsoi, a former vigil organiser, would have been having a busy week, preparing for the event and coordinating with police.
    This year, the 55-year-old says he has not decided what he’ll do on Sunday.
    “Over some 30 years, we carried on our work in a struggle of memory against forgetting,” said Tsoi, who wore a black T-shirt with the slogan “The people will never forget.” “Now, maybe we will have to think about how to keep this message from being drowned out in Hong Kong.” Asked whether it is legal to mourn the crackdown in public privately, Hong Kong leader John Lee said that if anyone breaks the law, “of course the police will have to take action.”
    The group that formerly organised the Victoria Park vigil disbanded in 2021, after police informed it that it was under investigation for working on behalf of foreign groups, an accusation the group denied, and three of its leaders were charged with subversion. The Tiananmen crackdown left a deep mark on a generation of liberal-minded Chinese people. Tsoi, who was in college during the 1989 democracy movement, said the protests gave him hope for the future of China. (AP)

  • China backs expansion of BRICS grouping with ‘likeminded partners’

    BEIJING (TIP): China on June 1 said Beijing views the BRICS as an “open and inclusive” platform and it backs moves to expand the five-member grouping with “like-minded partners.”
    Asked at a media briefing here about reports saying that India wants an agreement to be reached on the process of expanding BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa), Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said she had not seen the report but “in principle, China always holds that BRICS is open and inclusive.”
    “We support BRICS expansion and welcome more like-minded partners to join the BRICS family,” she said.
    As BRICS countries proposed to hold the next summit in South Africa in August this year, media reports say several countries have evinced interest in joining the grouping of emerging markets.
    According to reports, 19 countries — Argentina, Nicaragua, Mexico, Uruguay, Nigeria, Algeria, Egypt, Senegal, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Turkiye, Syria, Iran, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Thailand, Kazakhstan, and Bangladesh — have evinced interest in joining the BRICS grouping.
    The BRICS brings together five of the largest developing countries of the world, representing 41 per cent of the global population, 24 per cent of the global GDP, and 16 per cent of the global trade. (PTI)

  • Australian decorated hero resigned from Seven West Media after Afghanistan war crime revelations

    Australian decorated hero resigned from Seven West Media after Afghanistan war crime revelations

    CANBERRA (TIP): Australia’s most decorated living war veteran Ben Roberts-Smith quit his corporate job on June 2 after a civil court blamed him for unlawfully killing four Afghans, escalating calls for the tarnished national hero to be stripped of his revered Victoria Cross medal. Roberts-Smith, who retired from Australia’s elite Special Air Service Regiment a decade ago, quit his job as state manager of Seven West Media after losing a landmark defamation suit on Thursday against newspapers that had accused him of an array of war crimes.
    The 44-year-old had taken leave since 2021 to focus on his federal court case, which has been financed by the company’s billionaire executive chair Kerry Stokes.
    “Ben has been on leave whilst the case was running and today has offered his resignation which we have accepted,” chief executive James Warburton said Friday in a staff email.
    “We thank Ben for his commitment to Seven and wish him all the best,” Warburton added.
    Roberts-Smith has been fighting to salvage his reputation through a defamation suit in the federal court since Australian newspaper articles in 2018 accused him of an array of war crimes including culpability in six unlawful killings.
    A judge dismissed the defamation claims on Thursday, finding the articles were substantially true. The judge also found Roberts-Smith was responsible for four of the six unlawful deaths he had been accused of. Media lawyer Justin Quill said Roberts-Smith’s lawyers would have been shocked by the extent of his loss.
    “Ultimately there is a judge’s finding that he committed four murders and that’s about as bad as you could possibly get,” Quill said. “I’d say even in his worst nightmares he didn’t expect yesterday to go quite as badly as that.”
    Roberts-Smith remains under Australian police investigation for criminal prosecution for war crimes. A former SAS soldier March became the first charged with a war crime from Australia’s 20-year campaign in Afghanistan.
    Roberts-Smith’s SAS colleagues are among those calling for him to become the first of Australia’s Victoria Cross winners to be stripped of the highest award for gallantry in battle.
    The Australian government refused to comment on the case.
    Minor Greens Party Senator David Shoebridge said Roberts-Smith should be stripped of his honours and the Australian War Memorial should remove memorabilia including portraits, medals and a uniform display.
    “At a minimum, we should be seeing action by the Australian War Memorial to remove the display that is now there for Ben Roberts-Smith. His uniform and his medals, which thousands of people will attend tomorrow to view and witness,” Shoebridge said.
    “The Australian War Memorial has an obligation to tell the whole truth about Australia’s involvement in Afghanistan,” he added.
    The memorial said the civil court context could be added to the Roberts-Smith display. (AP)

  • How Turkiye’s President Erdogan has maintained a tight grip on power in the country

    How Turkiye’s President Erdogan has maintained a tight grip on power in the country

    ANKARA (TIP): Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a populist with increasingly authoritarian tendencies, is scheduled to take the oath of office and start his third presidential term on June 3 following his latest election win. Erdogan, who has led Turkiye as prime minister or president for 20 years, prevailed in a runoff race last weekend despite the country’s ongoing economic crisis and his government’s criticised response to a February earthquake that killed more than 50,000 people.
    Known as “reis” or “the chief” among his fans, the 69-year-old Erdogan already is the longest-serving leader in the Turkish republic’s history.
    His reelection to a five-year term that runs until 2028 extends his rule into a third decade, and he could possibly serve longer with the help of a friendly parliament.
    Here is a look at Erdogan’s career and some of the reasons for his political longevity.
    It’s not the economy
    Many experts agree that Turkiye’s severe economic woes result from Erdogan’s unorthodox fiscal policies – most notably, depressing interest rates against rampant inflation despite the warnings of economists.
    However, the majority of voters – he received 52 per cent of the runoff vote – did not seem to hold it against him.
    Erdogan’s endurance amid the cost-of-living crisis – inflation in Turkiye hit a staggering 85 per cent in October before easing to 44 per cent in April – might have resulted from many people preferring stability over change as they struggle to pay skyrocketing prices for rent and basic goods.
    The president has demonstrated an ability to turn the economy around in the past.
    And he has never shied away from spending and deploying government resources to his political advantage.
    Over the past two decades, his government has spent lavishly on infrastructure to please constituents.
    In the period leading up to last month’s parliamentary and presidential elections, he increased wages and pensions to cushion the blow from inflation and disbursed electricity and gas subsidies.
    One point of pride for many voters is Turkiye’s ballooning military-industrial sector.
    Throughout the campaign, Erdogan frequently cited domestically made drones, aircraft and a warship touted as the world’s first “drone carrier”.
    On the world stage
    Erdogan has swayed many Turks to his side with the way he navigates the world stage.
    Supporters see in him a leader who has shown that Turkiye can be a major player in geopolitics while displaying an independent streak as it engages with the East and West.
    Turkiye is a key NATO member because of its strategic location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, and it controls the alliance’s second-largest army. (AP)

  • Dr. Harbans Lal honored by Al-Noor International Texas

    Dr. Harbans Lal honored by Al-Noor International Texas

    By Sardul Singh, Ph.D.

    Ek Shaam, Dallas ke Roshan Charaghon ke Naam. That was the evening of May 12, 2023 – filled with joy and excitement when over 200 guests gathered to honor Dr. Harbans Lal and eleven other luminaries (Roshan Charag), persons who act as beacons of light to the society around. These luminaries have attained outstanding achievements in their chosen fields and are involved in other community affairs and philanthropic efforts, in helping people in distress, and in advancing mutual understanding among people of diverse religious and cultural backgrounds, among others. Dr Harbans Lal was honored with Lifetime Achievement Award by the Al-Noor International Texas organization for his outstanding contributions to science as an internationally acclaimed pharmacologist and neuroscientist, for being an eminent scholar on Sikhism, and for promoting interfaith and multicultural understanding.
    Dr. Harbans Lal is an accomplished scientist in the field of pharmacology and neuroscience and has published over 400 research papers and 28 books. He has served on the advisory boards of several national and international institutions including National Institute of Health, National Science Foundation, US Food and Drug Administration, and National Institute of Aging. He has been involved in developing longevity drugs that lengthen human life-expectancy (I guess he has been using them judiciously to be healthy and fit at 92!) He was honored with the Distinguished Neuroscientist Award by the Society of Neuroscience.
    Besides being an eminent scientist, Dr. Lal is a well-known scholar on Sikhism. This is how he got his love for Sikhism. He says his parents told him that they got him as a gift from Guru Nanak and then raised him to serve the causes of Guru Nanak. So, from the childhood, he had deep interest in Sikhism and Gurbani. He served as the President of All India Sikh Students federation (AISSF) for 1954-56. For his contributions to the Sikh causes, he has been honored by the SGPC with the title of Bhai Sahib, and the Anandpur Sahib Foundation honored him with the Order of Nishan-e-Khalsa. He is the founder of Academy of Guru Granth Studies where effort is made to understand the true message of Gurbani, and a founding member of the School of Scientific and Logical Interpretation of Gurbani. In the new scientific age, it is imperative that the message of Gurbani is interpreted logically and correctly, and broadcast accordingly so that the new generation can relate to it and find sustenance from it. And Dr. Lal’s credentials of being a scientist with incisive insight, dispassion, and candor make him eminently qualified to do that. I have known Dr. Lal for nearly thirty years and benefited from his deep understanding of Gurbani. In his talks in our gurdwara, we often hear something from him that is new and provocative and something that relates Gurbani to real life. He believes that the planet earth will live or die as per the Cosmic Plan or Hukam. With the biggest telescopes available today, we are now discovering how little we know about Creation. Dr. Harbans Lal writes a blog, “Seeking Wisdom”, which I have found stimulating and insightful.

    Dr. Harbans Lal with his wife, family members and friends.

    Dr. Harbans Lal is also well known for his leading roles in Interfaith organizations. As such, he is a household name in the Asian community in Dallas; any adult you talk to seems to know him, whether he is a Sikh, Hindu, Muslim, or Christian. This is because he has been a true believer in the Guru’s saying “manas ki jaat sab ek hi pehchanbo” (Regard all humans as one race). Every so often there are interfaith gatherings where people of different religions mingle and pray together in order to foster harmony among people of diverse faiths. In one such gathering, he mentioned that Guru Nanak was the first religious leader who started interfaith dialog. We are aware that Guru Nanak travelled to Hindu and Muslim places of worship and had dialogs with religious leaders of those faiths in order to foster mutual understanding among the different faiths. Perhaps touched by Guru Nanak’s ideology, Dr. Lal always has a peaceful and smiling face; it seems hate and anger have not touched him! He can listen to and relate to people of different faiths and nationalities as if they were part of his family, as if there was no “otherness”. This is what Guru Nanak would have loved him and us to be like, and Dr Lal has been treading on that path– Guru Nanak’s path– his entire life. He has lived an honest life full of love for others and God – the life of a Sachiaar! He represents a true ambassador of Guru Nanak’s philosophy!
    The award ceremony took place in Roma Palace in the Dallas metroplex. The well-decorated hall had big round tables for awardees and their supporters. Each table had a beautiful picture of the awardee on some wooden surface. And there were specially designed mugs with “We Love You” messages. Each awardee was ushered into the hall to the beat of Dhol and excitement, while the organizers of the Al-Noor International Texas offered flower bouquets to the awardees. There was a slide show that showcased the achievements of the awardees, while the awardees themselves had time to say something about their personal lives. The event lasted about four hours.

  • Indian American math teacher Nikhil Bhatia to run for US Congress from Illinois

    Indian American math teacher Nikhil Bhatia to run for US Congress from Illinois

    ILLINOIS (TIP): Nikhil Bhatia, an Indian American math teacher from Illinois, has announced his run for the US Congress from the state 7th District challenging Democrat Representative Danny Davis who intends to seek a 15th term. “I’m excited to share a big new step in my life: I am officially a candidate for Congress in Illinois’ 7th Congressional District,” Bhatia stated LinkedIn. The district covers the South and West Sides of Chicago as well as the western suburbs.
    Bhatia, a teacher in Grand Crossing and an elected Local School Council member at Galileo Scholastic Academy on Chicago’s Near West Side, has “worked in urban education for 11 years, including five years as a middle school principal,” according to his website. He “recently received” his master’s from University of Chicago‘s Harris School of Public Policy “in order to study how we can tackle the systematic issues that oppress many of our communities,” it adds. “I would like to combine my passion for social justice and expertise in leadership and data analysis to make a social impact.”
    Explaining the reasons for running for the US Congress on his LinkedIn profile, Bhatia said that although he’s spent his “entire career in urban education, the obstacles all of our kids face — underfunded schools, gun violence, climate change, and rolling back rights for women and LGBTQ students — are overwhelming. We need a solution that goes well beyond the classroom. And to do that, we need to change who we are sending to Washington. Change can’t wait.”
    Bhatia notes that providing a better future for our children means “we can’t keep sending the same career politicians to Washington and hope for a different result. We need leaders who can relate to today’s challenges and have fresh ideas for creating a better tomorrow.”
    “My issue isn’t with Danny’s age (81 years), but with his lack of action,” he says of the long-term representative currently holding the seat. Bhatia’s parents moved from India to the US and worked as physicians. He and his wife Alison are parents of two young children.

  • ‘Will work on issue of immigration says Neera Tanden ahead of taking over as new White House Domestic Policy Advisor

    ‘Will work on issue of immigration says Neera Tanden ahead of taking over as new White House Domestic Policy Advisor

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): Indian-American public policy expert Neera Tanden has said her experience as a daughter of immigrants is akin to many immigrants in the US and she will work on the issue of immigration in her new role as the White House Domestic Policy Advisor.

    Tanden, 52, on Saturday, May 27 replaces former US National Security Advisor Susan Rice as the White House Domestic Policy Advisor, which is considered to be one of the most powerful positions inside the White House.

    “Currently I’m Staff Secretary, and tomorrow I’m going to…I’m extremely enthusiastic about taking over as Domestic Policy Council Advisor. My experience is like many immigrants in the United States as children of immigrants,” Tanden told PTI on Friday.

    “My father came here from India in the early 1950s, and my mother came in the 1960s. They moved to Bedford, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. They were the only Indian family in that community. So, I felt a part of that community, but also a little bit different,” she said.

    Tanden, a close confidant of President Joe Biden, was named by Biden as his Domestic Policy Advisor this month to help him craft and implement his domestic policy agenda, making her the first Asian-American to lead any of the three major White House policy councils in history.

    “My mom would occasionally wear sarees. I was different from other families in Bedford. I had that duality of being the child of immigrants. But also, being part of America.

    “What I’m really incredibly enthusiastic about in this role and excited about is one of the issues that I will take on as domestic policy advisor is the issue of immigration,” she said on the last day of her being senior advisor and staff secretary to President Biden. President Biden has a strong record of expanding legal immigration in the United States, as well as a whole host of other issues, she said.

    “I’m looking forward to working on those issues as well. And it really does feel like it comes full circle given the journey my parents made to come here, and to give me the opportunities I’ve had and that is effectuated now when I’m in this new role,” Tanden said. She said that the president has important principles which is to ensure that they are expanding legal immigration and legal pathways.

    “We have a lot of complicated issues on immigration at the border, other issues, but it’s a touchstone to ensure that America’s role as a beacon for the world, a place where there are people like my parents who made that great leap of faith to go to a place very different, live in a different world, a different culture, and try to really reach for the American dream,” she said.

    “And I know that 50, 60 years ago, 70 years ago, they would never imagine that their short daughter would be working at the White House one day. But that is one of the great aspects of our immigration policies, and we have to keep true to that, which is, fighting against efforts to restrict legal immigration and really ensure that our immigration policies reflect our values for the 21st century,” she said.

    Tanden began her career as an associate director for domestic policy in former president Bill Clinton’s White House and senior policy adviser to the first lady.

    She received her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of California, Los Angeles and her law degree from Yale Law School. She also served as legislative director in Clinton’s office and deputy campaign manager and issues director for Hillary Clinton’s 2000 Senate campaign.

    She was the director of domestic policy for the Obama-Biden presidential campaign, where she managed all domestic policy proposals.

    She also served as policy director for Hillary’s first presidential campaign, where she directed all policy work and oversaw the debate preparation process for then-Senator Hillary. During the Obama administration, she served as senior adviser for health reform at the US Department of Health and Human Services.

    In that role, she developed policies around reform and worked with Congress and stakeholders on particular provisions of then-President Barack Obama’s signature legislative achievement, the Affordable Care Act.

    She was also the president and CEO of the progressive think-tank, Center for American Progress (CAP).

    “What I’m particularly excited about is, there are so many issues that have been really part and parcel of the president’s longstanding views and principles,” she said.

    Tanden said the Domestic Policy Council champions issues around policing reform and reducing crime and ensuring that “we are working on both of those issues”. “As I just discussed, immigration, ensuring that we are improving our school’s education, is a key component and an area that I’ve worked on for a long time. I’m incredibly proud of the President’s record on the issue of healthcare. The president has dramatically expanded healthcare,” she said. For many young Indian Americans, in particular girls, Tanden has emerged as a role model.

    “My most important message is that, follow your dreams and work hard at what your dreams are. I truly believe that people will do their best work when they enjoy what they do. But I’d also say there are sometimes some really easier paths,” she said.

    “When I was growing up, a lot of our community pushed or prompted people, particularly girls to go into healthcare or a lot of family members thought it would be more successful for me to go into accounting or some, more traditional path,” she said.

    Tanden said there weren’t any role models for her among Indian Americans in government when she was a child, let alone Indian women. “I feel it is a real privilege to try to widen the path for others who come after me. This is always a marathon where we pass the baton. Many women leaders have widened the path for me. Many leaders of color have widened the path for me. Many Asian leaders have widened the path for me. And I feel like it’s part of my role to widen the path for others,” Tanden said.

  • Society has ‘polarized’ during last nine years: Congress leader Sam Pitroda

    Society has ‘polarized’ during last nine years: Congress leader Sam Pitroda

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): In the last nine years, the country has “polarized” and a very small percentage of people have really concentrated power and wealth, senior Congress leader Sam Pitroda has alleged. Pitroda is the chairperson of the Indian Overseas Congress and he is accompanying Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on his six-day US tour. “I think in the last nine years over a period of time, our society has been polarized. Polarized by focusing on religion. On the one hand, there is Hindu, on the other hand, there is everything else,” Pitroda told PTI. Senior BJP leaders, including Union ministers and chief ministers, highlighted the achievements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government in a nationwide outreach on Monday to mark its nine years in office. The BJP said in a statement that India has witnessed “unprecedented” development in every sector with the mantra of “nation first” guiding Modi’s policies.

    However, Pitroda said the growth has been twisted. “It is uneven. And that’s a great cause of concern. When you don’t have democratic institutions functioning normally, you don’t feel secure. So, there’s a fear in the mind of the people that somebody will come and attack me. So, they don’t speak,” Pitroda, who is based in the US, said.

    “We all know that 85 per cent of India’s population is Hindu or whatever the number is, maybe 82. But within the Hindu community, a very small per cent of high-level people have really concentrated power and wealth. And in the process, a large number of scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, artisans, carpenters, blacksmiths, plumbers, Dalits, have not really progressed as well as they should have,” he said.

    “So, the fight is not about Hindu and non-Hindu. The fight is about the underprivileged and privileged. In the nine years, I think wealth is concentrated. We brag about so many billionaires, which is fine, I’m happy with it. But we have not lifted a large number of people out of poverty,” he said.

    “The trolls on social media just harass people. They harass women. They harass reporters, they harass media people, whether it is typically Ravish Kumar of the world or anybody else, they attack your family, they attack your mother… this is out of control. And it cannot be tolerated. The trolls cannot be tolerated,” he said.

    “Somebody in the government has to stand up and say, look, anybody who trolls and attacks somebody unnecessarily will be punished as opposed to we are encouraging parole. That is a worry for a lot of us. Look at the violence. Violence has increased. Look at violence against women. It has increased,” Pitroda said.

    People who are worshipped today are corrupt, dictatorial, and abusive, he alleged.

    “(They) use all kinds of language against everybody. Promote hate. And I’m saying, where did we go wrong? What’s going on? And it bothers me not that you’re gonna change it overnight, but at least you can raise your voice and have an honest conversation about how I feel. You don’t have to agree with me. But can I get a chance to talk and we don’t have that space,” Pitroda said.
    (Source: PTI)

  • Indian democracy is a ‘global public good’; its ‘collapse’ will have an impact on world says Rahul Gandhi

    Indian democracy is a ‘global public good’; its ‘collapse’ will have an impact on world says Rahul Gandhi

    • Rahul Gandhi in US

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): Asserting that Indian democracy is a “global public good”, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said that its “collapse” will have an impact on the world and is not in America’s national interest.

    At the same time, Gandhi, who is currently on a six-day tour of the United States, said in multiple settings that the issue of democracy is an internal matter of the country, and he is committed to fighting against it.

    “It’s our job, it’s our business, and it’s our work to fight the battle for democracy in India. “And it’s something that we understand, we accept, and we do,” he told reporters at a news conference here at the National Press Club on Thursday, June 1.

    “But the thing to remember is that Indian democracy is a global public good. Because India is large enough that a collapse in democracy in India will affect…will have an impact on the world. So that is for you to think about how much you have to value Indian democracy. But for us, it’s an internal matter, and it’s a fight that we are committed to, and we are going to, we are going to win,” Gandhi said.

    He gave a similar answer to questions on democracy at a reception hosted for him by eminent Indian American Frank Islam.

    Responding to a question, Gandhi said that there is a need to broaden the India-US relationship and it should not be restricted to just defense relationships alone.

    “India has to do what’s in its interest. And that’s what will guide us… So, I am not entirely convinced about the sort of autocratic vision that is being promoted. I think that it’s very important that democracy is protected on the planet. So, India has a role there. India, of course, has its view on things, and I think that that view should be put on the table, but I don’t think one should think about these things as the center of things. I think that’s, that would be arrogant,” he said.

    “We understand the strengths that we bring to the table: democratic values, data, these are some of the things that technology, a highly educated, technically educated population. These are our strengths. I think we have to chart our course based on these strengths,” he said in response to a question on the India-US relationship.

    During an interaction with the media at the National Press Club, Gandhi said that “the US and India have synergies, that if they come together can be very powerful. What we are facing is a particular vision of the world, the Chinese vision of the world that offers productivity, and prosperity, but under a non-Democratic field.”

    “That’s not acceptable to us, because we simply cannot thrive under non-democratic. So, we have to think about productive production and prosperity in a Democratic field. And I think that’s where the bridge between India and the United States can play a very important role for us and for you,” he said.

    Responding to a question on China, at a dinner reception, Gandhi said the Chinese system offers prosperity, but under a non-democratic system. “I feel that an alternative vision needs to be put on the table. I think that’s the real challenge facing the United States and India and other democracies. What exactly does a countervailing vision look like and what are the core elements of that vision?” he said.

    “I think we are in the midst of a number of transitions. We are in the midst of a transition in mobility, a transition in energy, a transition in communication. How do we, how do we think about those transitions? I think those are really the big questions. Of course, uh, with regards to the United States, we have cooperation on defense, and that’s very important, but I think it’s equally important to widen the relationship and make it broader so it’s more secure,” Gandhi said.
    China is occupying Indian territory, the former Congress party chief claimed.

    “It’s an accepted fact. I think 1,500 square kilometers of land the size of Delhi is occupied by them. It’s absolutely unacceptable. The Prime Minister seems to believe otherwise. Maybe he knows something that we don’t know,” he said at the National Press Club.
    (Source: PTI)

  • India, China relationship is going to be ‘tough’, says Rahul Gandhi

    India, China relationship is going to be ‘tough’, says Rahul Gandhi

    • Rahul Gandhi in US

    SAN FRANCISCO (TIP): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has asserted that India cannot be pushed around by China as he underlined that the relationship between the two neighbors is going to be “tough” and not an easy one.

    Gandhi, who is in the US for a three-city US tour, made the remarks on Wednesday, May 31 night in response to a question from Indian students at the Stanford University Campus in California. “How do you see the India-China relationship evolving in the next 5-10 years?” he was asked.

    Gandhi replied, “It’s tough right now. I mean, they’ve occupied some of our territory. It’s rough. It’s not too easy (a relationship).” “India cannot be pushed around. That something is not going to happen,” Gandhi said.

    India and China are also locked in a lingering border standoff in eastern Ladakh for three years.

    The bilateral relationship came under severe strain following the deadly clash in Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh in June 2020.

    India has maintained that the bilateral relationship cannot be normal unless there is peace in the border area.

    During his interaction at Stanford University, Gandhi supported New Delhi’s policy of having its relationship with Russia in the context of the Ukrainian war, despite the pressure it feels from the West.

    “We have a relationship with Russia, we have certain dependencies on Russia. So, I would have a similar stance as the Government of India,” Gandhi said in response to a question when asked does he supports India’s neutral stance on Russia. At the end of the day, India has to look for its own interest. India, he said, is a big enough country whereby it generally will have relationships with other countries.

    It’s not so small and dependent that it will have a relationship with one and nobody else, he added.

    “We will always have these types of relationships. We will have better relationships with some people, evolving relationships with other people. So that balance is there,” the former Congress president said.

    Supporting a strong relationship between India and the United States, Gandhi underscored the importance of manufacturing and both countries collaborating in emerging fields like data and artificial intelligence. Simply focusing on the security and defense aspect of this bilateral relationship is not enough he said.
    (Source: PTI)

  • Rahul Gandhi says his disqualification from Lok Sabha has given him huge opportunity

    Rahul Gandhi says his disqualification from Lok Sabha has given him huge opportunity

    Rahul Gandhi in US

    SAN FRANCISCO (TIP): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said that he did not imagine his disqualification from Lok Sabha was possible when he joined politics but asserted that it has given him a “huge opportunity” to serve the people. Gandhi, who is in the US for a three-city US tour, made the remarks on Wednesday, June 31 night in response to a series of questions from Indian students at the prestigious Stanford University Campus in California.

    The Wayanad (Kerala) Member of Parliament was disqualified from Lok Sabha earlier this year after he was convicted by a Surat court in a 2019 criminal defamation case over his “Modi surname” remark.

    In his remarks, Gandhi said that when he joined politics in 2000, he never imagined this is what he would go through. What he sees is going on now is way outside anything that he had thought when he joined politics.

    Referring to his disqualification from Lok Sabha as a Member of Parliament, Gandhi, 52, said he didn’t imagine that something like this was possible.

    “But then I think it’s actually given me a huge opportunity. Probably much bigger than the opportunity I would have. That’s just the way politics works,” he said.

    “I think the drama started really, about six months ago. We were struggling. The entire opposition is struggling in India. Huge financial dominance. Institutional capture. We’re struggling to fight the democratic fight in our country,” he said, adding that at this point in time, he decided to go for the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’.

    “I am very clear, our fight is ours fight,” he said. “But there is a group of young students from India here. I want to have a relationship with them and want to talk to them. It’s my right to do it,” he said during his interaction with Indian students and academicians of Indian origin at the University here.

    He also emphasized in his frequent foreign trips like this, he is not seeking support from anybody.

    “I don’t understand why the prime minister doesn’t come here and do it,” Gandhi asked amidst applause from the audience who had packed the entire auditorium at Stanford.

    The moderator said that the Prime Minister is welcome to come to Stanford anytime and interact with the students and academicians.

    Some of the students were denied entry as the auditorium was packed. Students started queuing up two hours before the event started.

    In the last one and a half years, several Indian ministers have interacted with Indian students.
    (Source: PTI)

     

  • Rahul Gandhi says PM Modi thinks he knows more than God, calls him ‘specimen’

    Rahul Gandhi in US

    SANTA CLARA, CA (TIP): There are people in India who think they know more than God and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is “one such specimen”, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said.

    Speaking at the ‘Mohabbat Ki Dukaan’ event organized by Indian Overseas Congress USA in Santa Clara in the US state of California on Tuesday, May 30, Gandhi said these people are “absolutely convinced” that they know everything and can explain history to historians, science to scientists and warfare to the army.

    “The world is too big and complicated for any person to know everything. That is the disease…There is a group of people in India who are absolutely convinced they know everything. They think they know even more than God.

    “They can sit with God and explain to him what’s going on. And of course, our prime minister is one such specimen. If you sat Modiji with God, he would explain to God how the universe works and God will get confused about what have I created,” he said, evoking peals of laughter from hundreds of his Indian American supporters.

    “They think they can explain history to historians, science to scientists and warfare to the army. But at the core of it is mediocrity. They’re not ready to listen!” he said.

    Gandhi’s event was attended by community members not only in Silicon Valley but also from Los Angeles and Canada.

    Gandhi told the Indian Americans that the idea of India was under attack and is being challenged.

    He applauded the Indian Americans for holding up the Indian flag in America, showing the American people what it means to be an Indian by respecting their culture and learning from them while also allowing the Americans to learn from them.

    “You make us all proud. When we think of our country, you are all our ambassadors. When America says Indian people are extremely intelligent. Indian people are masters of IT, Indian people are respectful. All these ideas that have come, they’ve come because of you and because of your actions and your behaviors,” he said.
    (Source: PTI)

  • BJP can be defeated if Opposition is ‘aligned properly’: Rahul Gandhi

    BJP can be defeated if Opposition is ‘aligned properly’: Rahul Gandhi

    • Rahul Gandhi in US

    SANTA CLARA, CA (TIP): The ruling BJP can be defeated if the Opposition is “aligned properly” and the Congress party is working towards it and it is “coming along very nicely”, Rahul Gandhi has told Indian Americans here, citing his party’s emphatic victory in the recent assembly elections in Karnataka.

    Responding to questions from the moderator and the audiences at an event at the Silicon Valley Campus of the University of California in Santa Cruz on Tuesday, Gandhi said he can clearly see “vulnerabilities” in the BJP.

    “As a political entrepreneur, I can clearly see vulnerabilities in the BJP… The BJP can be defeated if the Opposition is aligned properly,” he said.

    “If you look at the Karnataka elections, the general sense is that the Congress Party fought the BJP and defeated the BJP. But what is not well understood is the mechanics that we used,” he said.

    The Congress party used a completely different approach to fighting an election and building a narrative, Gandhi said, adding that elements of what happened in Karnataka came out of the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’.

    In the May 10 elections to the 224-member Karnataka Assembly, the Congress won 135 seats, while incumbent BJP and the former prime minister H D Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal (Secular) got 66 and 19, respectively.

    Gandhi said in the Karnataka elections, the BJP spent 10 times more money than the Congress party.

    He said the country needed an alternative vision to defeat the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in addition to having a united Opposition in the 2024 general elections.

    “On the matter of opposition unity, we are working towards it and it is coming along very nicely. But I think in order to defeat the BJP, you need more than just opposition unity. Just opposition unity, in my opinion, is not going to be enough to do the job. I think you need an alternative vision to the BJP,” he said.

    “Part of Bharat Jodo Yatra was the first step in proposing such a vision. It’s the vision that all opposition parties are aligned with. No opposition party would disagree with the idea of the Bharat Jodo Yatra,” he said.

    Bharat Jodo Yatra (Unite India March) was a Gandhi-led mass movement aimed at uniting India. The yatra began on September 7 from Kanyakumari, passed through 12 states and culminated in Jammu and Kashmir on January 31. During the course of the yatra, Gandhi, 52, addressed 12 public meetings, over 100 corner meetings and 13 press conferences. He had over 275 planned walking interactions and more than 100 sitting interactions.

    “So, I think bringing the opposition together is important, but also aligning the opposition and making the people of India understand that there is not just a group of opposition parties that have combined but a proposed way forward for the country. And we’re working on those things,” Gandhi said.

    The ex-Wayanad MP said it is the president of the Congress party who will decide the prime ministerial candidate.

    “We believe that everybody in India, regardless of who they are, whichever part of the society they come from, they should have a voice that voice should be respected, to be listened to be appreciated. And I think that voice is an asset,” he said.

    In his address, Gandhi also took a dig at the ruling BJP government, saying it is “threatening” the people and “misusing” the country’s agencies.

    “The BJP is threatening people and misusing government agencies. The Bharat Jodo Yatra started because all the instruments that we needed to connect with the people were controlled by the BJP-RSS,” he said.

    “We were also finding that in some way, it had become quite difficult to act politically. And that’s why we decided to walk from the southernmost tip of India to Srinagar,” he said.

    Gandhi said the yatra carried the spirit of affection, respect and humility.

    “If one studies history, it can be seen that all spiritual leaders — including Guru Nanak Dev ji, Guru Basavanna ji, Narayana Guru ji — united the nation in a similar way,” he said.

    Gandhi said India is not what is being shown in the media which likes to promote a political narrative that is far from reality, asserting that there is a “huge distortion”.

    “It was very clear to me in the Yatra that it’s in the media’s interest to project these things, it helps the BJP. So, don’t think that everything you see in the media is the truth,” he said.

    “India is not what the media shows. The media likes to show a particular narrative. It likes to promote a political narrative that is actually not what is going on in India,” he said.

    The Congress leader arrived here on Tuesday, May 30 on a three-city US tour during which he will interact with the Indian diaspora and meet American lawmakers.

    He had a first-hand experience of the American immigration system as he had to wait for about two hours along with his other co-passengers on the Air India flight because of the common shortage of staff at the US airports.

    People were seen taking selfies with him and asking him questions. He was seen interacting and mingling with other traveler’s at the San Francisco airport.
    (Source: PTI)