Congressman congratulates people of India on elections.
By Sujeet Rajan
WASHINGTON, DC: Democrat Congressman from Sacramento County in California, Dr. Ami Bera, has sent his congratulations to the people of India and emphasized the importance of furthering Indo-US ties.
“Congratulations to the people of India on successfully completing the largest exercise of democracy in the world. It has truly been inspiring to see. As the Indian government transitions, we must remember how vital the U.S.-India partnership is to increased stability and economic growth in the Asia-Pacific region and around the world, and continue to grow our unique relationship as the world’s oldest and largest democracies,” said Bera in a statement.
“As a proud Gujarati American, I’d like to welcome India’s new government. I look forward to working together to boost two-way trade and investment between our great nations and to continue to work towards Vice President Biden’s goal of increasing our trade from $100 billion to $500 billion annually,” said Bera.
It’s interesting to note that Bera, while highlighting his Gujarati roots, which could be seen as useful by many of his colleagues to reach out to Modi, did not send his congratulations directly to Modi or raise the issue of the contentious visa issue that is looming up large.
Born and raised in California, Bera is a physician and the only Indian American currently serving in Congress.
A proponent for strengthening United States’ strategic and trading relationship with India and Asia, Bera is a member of the House Foreign Affairs committee and is working to open Asian markets to California products to create new jobs.