Congressman Joseph Crowley reacted to the results of the Indian Elections, which were finally tallied this week.

I am pleased to see that the democratic process in India works. Over 700 million people voted, an over 80% turnout. The legacy of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, which founded the modern State of India that thrives today, is alive and well and greatly respected by the showing in this most recent election.

I congratulate the Congress Party for their strong showing in the election. The new government must keep the peace negotiations with Pakistan on track, to ensure that the violence and deaths of innocents completely ceases. As the party that originated the first economic changes under Prime Minister Rao that enabled India and the Indian economy to develop to the level that it is today, I am sure that the Congress party will continue the strong economic growth that India has experienced under the leadership of the BJP. In order for India to grow, more Indians’ daily standard of living and income must improve, and I call upon the Congress Party to make today’s 400 million strong middle class into tomorrow’s 800 million strong and growing middle class. As Democratic chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, I look forward to working with the new government and Prime Minister, continuing to advance and strengthen the ties between the US and India,” said Congressman Crowley.

“Today is a victory for India,” Ranking Member Eni Faleomavaega said. “History will remember India’s 2014 elections as unprecedented. I will remember the 2014 elections as a triumph. The people of India have triumphed, and I join with them in congratulating India’s next Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, on this momentous occasion.”

“The election was hard-fought. But Shri Modi unified the nation with new hope, new ideas, and a campaign focused on development and good governance. As a token of friendship and in commemoration of the fulfillment of his destiny to lift up the masses, assure social justice, and bring new hope for any and all who, like him, step forward and transform challenges into opportunities by sheer strength of character and courage, a flag was flown over the United States Capitol at my request in honor of him on April 7, 2014, to mark victory’s dawn.”

“I agree with Shri Modi that India should journey forward – that now is the right time to look ahead. Shri Modi is a man of vision and he, together with each and every citizen of India, will create something special – an India that will assume its destined role.”

“I pay tribute to Shri Modi for his clarion call for change, to save a nation from ruin. I applaud his leadership and will recognize his victory – the people’s victory – in the Congressional Record next week when the U.S. Congress goes back into session. A statement in the Congressional Record becomes part of U.S. history and I firmly believe Shri Narendra Modi should be included not only in the annals of India’s history but U.S. history, too, because he was elected with a resounding victory despite the U.S. using every recourse it could to disrupt his destiny.”

“The U.S.-India partnership should be, could be, one of the most defining of the 21st century. But, I am disappointed that the United States failed to develop a strong friendship and comprehensive partnership with Shri Narendra Modi when it mattered most. U.S.-India relations matter strategically, politically, and economically. Consequently, the United States should have been a fair and honest broker about human rights. Regrettably, the United States missed the mark by responding one way to the 2002 riots and another way to the largest ethnic cleansing since the partition of India in which between 300,000 to 500,000 Kashmiri Hindus have migrated due to persecution.”

“Nonetheless, as Shri Narendra Modi assumes his mantle as India’s next Prime Minister, I have every confidence he will cut across caste, creed and religion and bring alive the dreams of a billion Indians, and a world that needs his leadership. I am inspired by his path-breaking campaign and I praise the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) for working shoulder-to-shoulder with Shri Modi to ensure that the spirit of democracy has triumphed.”

“I also commend Mr. Sanjay Puri, Founder and President of USINPAC, for championing the cause and work of Shri Narendra Modi early on in the U.S. Congress when India’s soon-to-be Prime Minister was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. On May 22, 2014, in the U.S. Capitol, Mr. Puri will host the first seminar on the U.S.-India post-election landscape with invited speakers from the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives, the State Department, and video messages from BJP President Rajnath Singh and BJP Head of Opposition Arun Jaitley, both whom I also commend for their hard work and tireless efforts in advancing a successful campaign.”

“I extend my kindest regards to the voters of India and to those from both parties who participated in such an historic election. I welcome the outcome as I have met with Shri Modi and know him to be a sincere man who stands against corruption and for inclusive growth and development. And so, once more, I congratulate Shri Narendra Modi and the parents who gave rise to him. As Shri Modi leaves soon to seek his mother’s blessings, I wish him Godspeed on his poetic journey forward from son of a tea seller to landslide victor to next Prime Minister of India,” Faleomavaega concluded.

As India’s national elections reach the finishing line, it is an opportune time to repair relations with the U.S. that were strained by the arrest of Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade in New York in December. But there’s a big catch: Washington’s uneasy relationship with the man expected to become India’s next prime minister. Should the BJP win, Narendra Modi, a once-highly polarizing figure, will certainly become Prime Minister of one of the world’s biggest economies.
But it is not the future, but Modi’s past that presents a challenge for the United States. Hindu nationalist leader Narendra Modi was denied a U.S. visa in 2005 for alleged complicity in religious riots in 2002 that killed more than 1,000 Muslims. Exit polls display Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies with an unbeatable lead over the ruling Congress party and its allies after voting ended Monday thus reducing the final results to a mere formality. Once Modi takes the oath, the visa issue will no longer exist and U.S. will have to welcome Modi with open arms as there is too much at stake when it comes to the relationship between the two countries and such trivial issues will have to be done away with for the greater good.
It was in the month of February, when, for the first time in Modi’s decade-long tenure as the Chief Minister of Gujarat that the U.S. ambassador visited him. U.S. since then has gone on record and has always said that whoever is elected India’s next leader would be welcome to the U.S., leaving little doubt that if Modi becomes Prime Minister, he could visit Washington whenever he wishes to.
On Monday, U.S. President Barack Obama congratulated India on its national election and said the U.S. will work closely with India’s next government.”We look forward to working with the leaders chosen by the Indian people to advance this important partnership and to set an ambitious agenda,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.
This very clearly means U.S. will accept whoever the citizens of India give their mandate to. But the U.S. will not be wrong if they think that Modi may hold a grudge against them for the visa denial, which may put a spanner when it comes to bilateral ties.
But Modi has always said that the BJP will look forward to further strengthen the partnership between India and the U.S. and build on the foundations laid by Atal Behari Vajpayee (Former India Prime Minister and BJP Leader) years back, although not much has been mentioned about it during his campaign. On the other hand, the successor to Powell, who is resigning, could play an important role in trying to build a strong bond with the new Prime Minister.
“Obama has yet to nominate a replacement, but India will look for someone close to the White House”, said Sanjay Puri, chairman of the U.S.-India Political Action Committee, which has helped organize trips by senior BJP officials to the U.S. He’s also urging an early White House invitation for the next Indian leader. “This relationship needs some love right now,” Puri said.

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 12, 2014

Statement by the President on the Conclusion of Indian Elections

I congratulate the people of India on concluding their national elections today.  India has set an example for the world in holding the largest democratic election in history, a vibrant demonstration of our shared values of diversity and freedom.

The United States and India have developed a strong friendship and comprehensive partnership over the last two decades, which has made our citizens safer and more prosperous and which has enhanced our ability to work together to solve global challenges.  We look forward to the formation of a new government once election results are announced and to working closely with India’s next administration to make the coming years equally trans-formative.

Indian-American Indira Talwani has been confirmed by the US Senate as a federal judge in Massachusetts, making her the first Asian Pacific American federal judge in this state.

Talwani, in her 50s, was confirmed by the Senate by 94-0 votes.

She is the first person of Asian descent to serve a judge in Massachusetts and in the First Circuit, which includes Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Puerto Rico and Rhode Island. Talwani is also only the second female judge of South Asian descent nationwide.

“Indi is a committed attorney with an exceptional record. She is admired by her peers. We are extremely excited that another deserving South Asian has been nominated to the judiciary,” Nadeem Bezar, president of the South Asian Bar Association North America, said in a statement.

Daughter of immigrants from India and Germany, Talwani graduated with honors from Harvard University and was later named Order of the Coif at Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California Berkeley.

Talwani is a partner at Segal Roitman LLP in Boston, where she focuses her practice on civil litigation at the state and federal trial court and appellate levels.

“Ms. Talwani has an impressive track record as a litigator, having represented clients in matters before the Massachusetts state trial courts and appeals courts as well as the district court to which she’s been nominated, the federal courts of appeals and the United States Supreme Court,” Senator Elizabeth Warren said as she introduced Talwani during her Senate confirmation hearing.

The Senator said Talwani has broad credentials and wide litigation experience. She has developed particular expertise in legal issues that relate to employment.

“She is the associate editor of a treatise on the Family and Medical Leave Act compiled by the American Bar Association,” the lawmaker said.

Prior to joining Segal Roitman LLP in 1999, Talwani was a partner at the San Francisco law firm now known as Altshuler Berzon LLP from 1996 to 1999 and an associate at that firm fr ..

Source:  The Economic Times