Indian Americans ask California Governor to veto anti-caste discrimination bill
Washington(PTI): Scores of Indian Americans held a peaceful protest rally in the State Capital of Sacramento urging California Governor Gavin Newsom to veto the anti-caste discrimination bill, recently passed by the State Assembly, which they asserted is discriminatory and targets the Indians in general and Hindus in particular.
If signed into law by Governor Newsom, California would become the first State in the United States and the first jurisdiction outside India to outlaw discrimination based on caste. The legislation revises California's Unruh Civil Rights Act by adding caste as a protected category under "ancestry".
"We ask Governor Newsom to Veto SB403 so history remembers that you said no to discrimination against Indian Americans and said no to racially profiling our community!" Samir Kalra of the Hindu American Foundation told the gathering of Indian Americans in front of the State Capitol in Sacramento on Saturday.
Displaying posters and banners, the protestors, most of whom had gathered from various parts of the State, urged the Governor not to sign the bill into law as this would end up in discrimination against the Hindu community. Much worse is that the bill amounts to racial profiling of the Hindu community, they argued.
Hindu American Foundation has said that it is exploring every option to protect the rights of Hindu Californians and is planning to file a lawsuit against this.
The bill was introduced by Senator Aisha Wahab, the first Muslim and Afghan-American woman elected to the state legislature, in February. The California Senate overwhelmingly passed SB403 "Discrimination on the basis of ancestry" with 31-5 votes last week.
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PM Modi speaks to Iranian president, discusses 'serious' situation in West Asia
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday night spoke to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian over the phone and discussed the "serious situation" in West Asia.
Modi expressed deep concern over the escalation of tensions in the region and the loss of civilian lives as well as damage to civilian infrastructure.
The prime minister told the Iranian President that the safety and security of Indian nationals, along with the need for unhindered transit of goods and energy, remain India's top priorities.
“Had a conversation with Iranian President, Dr Masoud Pezeshkian, to discuss the serious situation in the region. Expressed deep concern over the escalation of tensions and the loss of civilian lives as well as damage to civilian infrastructure,” Modi said in a post on X.
The prime minister also reiterated India's commitment to peace and stability and urged dialogue and diplomacy to end the crisis.
The prime minister had spoken to leaders of several West Asian countries in the last 10 days in the wake of the coordinated offensive launched against Iran by the United States and Israel, in which the Islamic country's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, was killed last month.
In retaliation, Iran has fired drones and missiles at Israel and US military installations around the Gulf region, including the global business and aviation hubs of Dubai and Doha.
Modi earlier spoke to the leaders of Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, Israel and Qatar, and expressed concern over the attacks on their countries, and condemned the violation of some nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
He also discussed the welfare and security of the Indian community residing in those countries.
Around 1 crore Indians live in the Gulf and West Asia. While about 10,000 Indian citizens live, study and work in Iran, more than 40,000 live in Israel.
