Indian, South-Asian groups congratulate Biden, Harris; say opportunity for progressive policies
Washington: Indian and South Asian groups on Monday congratulated President-elect Joe Biden and Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris on their historic win, saying they look forward to the opportunity to push for progressive and inclusive policies for the community.
Following a tense week of vote tallying, Democratic presidential candidate Biden, 77, on Saturday won the state of Pennsylvania and vaulted ahead in the race to become the next president of the United States.
Biden's win in the key battleground state put him over the threshold of 270 electoral votes, cutting off all avenues for his opponent, incumbent Republican President Donald Trump.
As Biden's vice president, Harris, 56, will make history in myriad ways, becoming the first woman - and the first woman of color - to occupy the office.
South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) said that it looks forward to the opportunity to push for progressive and inclusive policies for South Asian Americans across the US with the new administration.
This election opens up greater potential for pushing the policies that matter to our communities. We will rely on the same vigilance that propelled historic voter turnout and accurate vote counts to hold this administration accountable to our communities, Lakshmi Sridaran, the executive director of SAALT, said.
She said the mandate means a complete overhaul of the immigration system that ensures a pathway to citizenship for all, COVID-19 relief packages that include immigrants of all status, increased language access resources, an end to detention and the militarization of US borders, and the transformation of policing as we know it.
The Indian-American community was elated when Biden selected Senator Harris as his running mate and it was a great honour and prestige for the Indian-American community, Dr. Thomas Abraham, the chairman of Global Organisation of People of Indian-origin or GOPIO, said.
In spite of the close Trump-Modi relations, a very high percentage of the community went with the Biden-Harris ticket. In fact, in this close election, community votes have helped Biden to win the election, he added.
Rishi Bhutada, a member of the Hindu-American Political Action Committee, said they congratulate President-elect Joe Biden for his imminent victory and look forward to working with him and his administration.
Hindu issues are American issues, and Mr. Biden has laid out a strong Hindu and Indian-American agenda that we look forward to fulfilling together, he said.
In a statement, Hindu American Foundation (HAF) congratulated Biden and Harris on their election victory.
HAF looks forward to working with the Biden-Harris administration to address issues of mutual concern and interest to the Hindu American community, it said.
There is a long list of Hindu American legislative priorities and core issues that we believe are of fundamental interest not just to Hindu Americans but to all Americans, said HAF executive director Suhag Shukla.
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Tell US President Donald Trump to stop West Asia conflict: Owaisi to PM Modi
Hyderabad (PTI): AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "break his silence" on the conflict in West Asia and ask US President Donald Trump to end the war.
Addressing a gathering here, he also asked the PM to provide a full account of the sinking of an Iranian ship, IRIS Dena, off Sri Lanka by a US military submarine two days ago.
Taking strong exception to US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's recent announcement regarding Indian oil imports, he said the BJP-RSS should give a strong response to the American official and assert that India would purchase oil according to its own will.
He accused the BJP-RSS combine of being "scared" of US President Donald Trump.
"This war should end. Prime Minister should break his silence. Take the phone and tell Trump to stop this tamasha. They (US) are not suffering any losses. Our citizens are suffering. Who is dying there? Indians are dying. You maintained silence over Gaza," he said.
Owaisi dismissed the argument that the Iranian vessel sank outside the Indian waters, saying it is important to realise that it occurred close to India.
"If a Chinese ship comes close to our nation, what would you do? You say that it was not in Indian waters. Water does not have borders. You see how close the enemy has come. It is the Constitutional responsibility of the Prime Minister to tell the country what happened. We are with America in Quad," he said.
Pointing to India's strategic agreements with the US, the AIMIM leader said the Iranian frigate had visited Visakhapatnam at the invitation of India, while America had refused to participate in the naval exercise there.
Highlighting that one crore Indian citizens work in the Gulf region, a widening war lead to job losses for Indian diaspora.
He alleged that Israel aims to create a 'Greater Israel', encompassing much of the Arab region.
"The evil eye of these oppressors extends up to the holy city of Madinah."
Responding to US Treasury Secretary's comments that America is issuing a temporary 30-day waiver to allow Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil, Owaisi wondered if India truly is a sovereign country.
"Have you mortagaged India before US. Speak out BJP-RSS people. A (US)minister says you purchase for a month. Is this what we have secured freedom from the English that a white-skinned person says you purchase for a month ? But, they will not speak. They are scared of Trump," he said.
Quoting America's trade minister as saying that the US would not let India emerge like China, the AIMIM leader asked whether "India is a slave of America?"
He further questioned, "What is America's role in the progress of India?"
"BJP and RSS people are terrified of speaking against the white-skinned officials," he alleged.
He also hit out at the Centre for allegedly providing funds to a right-wing organisation to hold an event.
The organisation has openly favoured making India a 'Hindu Rashtra', "converting the religion of Muslims and throwing away 25 crore people," he alleged.
