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.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Railways created world record in derailments: Mamata Banerjee
Kolkata, Sep 24: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday mocked the Indian Railways, asserting that it has created a “world record” in derailments.
Banerjee’s comments came hours after a few wagons of an empty goods train jumped tracks in the state’s Jalpaiguri district.
"What is happening with the Railways? Even today, there is the news of derailment. The Railways has created a world record in derailments. But, nobody says anything?" she told reporters after an administrative review meeting in Birbhum.
"People's safety and security is in danger, and they are scared of travelling in trains. Where is the railway minister? Only asking for votes during elections will not help, you have to be by the side of people when they are in danger," Banerjee said.
Five wagons of an empty goods train derailed at New Maynaguri railway station in Jalpaiguri district on Tuesday morning.
No injuries were reported in the incident that occurred around 6.20 am, officials said.
Banerjee, who had served as railway minister twice, claimed that she had run the department smoothly and allocated several projects for West Bengal.
"As the railway minister, I had sanctioned projects worth Rs 2 lakh crore for Bengal," the CM said.
The Railways, in a recent report, had mentioned there were 18 attempts to derail trains across the country since August.
