Key Senate committee votes in favour of Eric Garcetti's nomination as US Ambassador to India
Washington (PTI): Former Los Angles Mayor Eric Garcetti's nomination as US Ambassador to India cleared a major hurdle after a key senatorial committee voted to advance his name to the Senate floor for a full vote.
Garcetti's nomination was pending before the US Congress since July 2021, when he was nominated for the prestigious diplomatic posting by President Joe Biden.
His nomination was not brought to the Senate floor for a vote during the last Congress as the ruling Democratic Party did not have enough support to get the 52-year-old close aide of Biden through.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee at its business meeting on Wednesday voted 13-8 in favour of the nomination of Garcetti. Now the nomination heads to the Senate floor for a full vote.
Two Republican Senators -- Todd Young and Bill Hagerty -- Wednesday afternoon voted in favour of Garcetti, joining the Democratic lawmakers and passing the nomination through the Senatorial committee.
Garcetti wasn't confirmed in Biden's first two years in office amid concerns by some lawmakers that the then-mayor hadn't adequately handled allegations against a former senior adviser of sexual assault and harassment. Biden renominated Garcetti to the same position in January this year.
Top Republican Senator Chuck Grassley this week called for voting against him.
Republican Senator Young defended his decision to vote in favour of Garcetti.
"It's in our national security interest to have an ambassador immediately in place in India in order to balance China, work with the US throughout the Indo-Pacific...He has an imperfect resume, but the skills to succeed in this capacity," Young said.
"We must ensure that any chief of the mission will, without question, protect our foreign service officers and embassy staff from all types of harassment," said Senator Jim Risch, Ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The White House continues to have full confidence in Garcetti. Last week it told reporters that Garcetti is qualified to serve as the US ambassador to India.
The State Department said it was in America's national interest to have a confirmed Ambassador to India, an important country for the US.
"There is no other country around the world that would put itself in a position to have a vacancy open in a strategically important and valuable place like India for two plus years now," State Department Spokesperson Ned Price told reporters after the vote.
"We certainly hope that the action that the Senate took today foretells additional action. It would be in our interest, it would be in the interest of India, and it would be in the interest of both of our people to have a confirmed ambassador in place. We hope that mayor and soon-to-be Ambassador Garcetti is able to take up that post before long," Price said.
Applauding the vote of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Price said the United States needs a confirmed ambassador in India.
"Our team on the ground, including charges who have served in the place of an ambassador have done extraordinary work. But this is one of the most consequential bilateral relationships we have," he said.
"When Secretary (of State Antony) Blinken was in New Delhi last week, much of the breadth and the depth of that relationship was on full display. Our embassy staff, our mission India deserves to have a Senate-confirmed ambassador who is, again with the consent of the Senate, a representative of not only the Secretary of State, but also the president of the United States," Price said.
Kenneth Juster, the last occupant of the ambassadorial residence of the US in New Delhi, stepped down in January 2021 after the change of government in America.
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UP Cong holds statewide protest seeking probe into FIR against Swami Avimukteshwaranand
Lucknow (PTI): The Uttar Pradesh Congress on Wednesday staged a statewide protest demanding a fair and transparent inquiry into the FIR lodged against Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and those who filed the complaint against him.
In a statement issued here, the party said memorandums addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi were submitted through district magistrates in all districts of the state.
Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Manish Hindvi told PTI that the memorandums were handed over through the district administration in all 75 districts.
In the memorandum, the party alleged that Saraswati and his disciples were "unnecessarily harassed and humiliated" by police on the occasion of Amavasya and were prevented from taking a ritual bath (at the Magh Mela). It further alleged that some disciples were manhandled and taken to a police station.
The memorandum also claimed that an FIR was later registered against Saraswati, his disciple Swami Mukundanand Brahmachari and several unidentified persons in a sexual harassment case. It termed the case a "conspiracy" aimed at tarnishing the seer's reputation.
Citing Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution, the memorandum stated that these provisions guarantee religious freedom and the right of religious denominations to manage their own affairs.
It described the position of shankaracharya held by Saraswati as "one of the highest spiritual posts in Sanatan tradition" and alleged that the entire episode appeared to have been "orchestrated in a planned manner".
"We request that the background of the persons who got the FIR registered be investigated in a transparent manner by a retired high court judge and strict action be taken against them," the memorandum said.
It also sought a "fair and transparent probe" into the allegations levelled against Saraswati so that the truth could be established.
Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai had told reporters in Varanasi after meeting Saraswati that the party stood firmly with him.
The Congress said it would continue to press for an impartial inquiry into the entire episode.
On February 21, an FIR was lodged in Prayagraj against Saraswati and his disciple Mukundanand Brahmachari on charges of sexually abusing two persons, including a minor, over the past year at a gurukul and religious congregations, including the recently concluded Magh Mela.
Days after he was booked, Saraswati had said on Monday that he would not oppose his arrest and asserted that the "fabricated story" would be exposed sooner or later.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Saraswati alleged that criminals rule in Uttar Pradesh, level allegations and influence investigations, as he denied having any contact with the two persons for whose alleged sexual abuse he has been booked.
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