Washington – A high-powered delegation of Indian Americans led by George Abraham, President of the Indian National Overseas Congress (I), along with other senior office bearers, recently met with visiting Indian Minister of External Affairs, S.M. Krishna, in Washington, DC.
Krishna was heading the Indian delegation for the third annual US-India Strategic Dialogue held on June 13 in the US capital, with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton serving as co-host.
Krishna acknowledged and applauded the efforts put forth by the Overseas Congress and assured all members present that their efforts are valued and appreciated.
The delegation briefed the minister about the developments and progress of the INOC (I), US. “The diaspora plays a critical role and the value of Congress supporters in the US is extremely valued and appreciated,” Krishna told the delegation.
Expressing gratitude for the meeting, Abraham said in a post-meeting statement, “Our objective is to deal with the issues on a proactive mode and the dialogue and the communication with various ministries, External Affairs Ministry in particular will be strengthened to make some meaningful differences on behalf of the diaspora here.”
“As the organization consists of strong supporters of the Congress Party in this hemisphere, we expect to play an important role in the days ahead,” he continued.
In addition to apprising the visiting minister about the ongoing activities, the delegation discussed multiple plans, including future events to engage the Indian Americans in Congress activities with a special focus on the upcoming 2014 elections in India. These events will be attended by various AICC members, including cabinet ministers, members of Parliament and senior party leaders, it was proposed. Other topics discussed included the upcoming US elections and community issues, according to the delegation members.
Abraham was accompanied by senior executive members of the INOC (I), including Treasurer Kanwal Sra, Kerala Chapter Chief Kalathil Veraghese, Former Vice President and current Executive Committee member, Mohinder Singh, and President of the Washington Chapter, Lavika Bhagat Singh, .
During the meeting, Veraghese shared Kerala diaspora participation in Kerala elections where the Congress Party was voted to the Assembly. Lavika Bhagat Singh highlighted the activities and provided an update regarding meetings with Kapil Sibal, Minister of Human Resource Development, Government of India; and Sam Pitroda, Indian innovator and advisor to the Prime Minister.
Summing up the meeting, Lavika said, “The Indian diaspora has been effective in the economic progress of India, so we can certainly influence political thought.”
“India and Indians are a power to reckon with and both political parties, Republicans and Democrats recognize that,” she said, adding, “Indian Americans need to be educated once again about the values, principles and efforts of the Congress Party in effecting change in India and the Indian National Overseas Congress (I), USA can and will do that.”
Following the meeting, the committee, along with President Abraham, extended an invitation to Karan Singh, Chairperson, Foreign Affairs, All India Congress Committee, New Delhi, India, for the event to be organized at Washington, DC in the coming months. (IATNS)