Indo-US ties will help Indians gain political clout: Subrahmanyam

The ongoing ties with the US will help Indians gain political clout in Washington much like the Israeli Jews, Chairman of the Taskforce on Global Strategic Developments K Subrahmanyam said Thursday.

Addressing a lecture on 'Challenges and Prospects for Indo-US Relations' at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, he said the present Indian population of 2 million in the US could well go up to 5 million in the next 10-20 years giving it "critical mass" to influence political decisions there.

Subrahmanyam debunked those advocating a China-India-Russia triangle to counter the US, saying it would not work.

"Where are your cousins and nieces? Are they in Beijing or Shanghai," he asked adding, India's relationship with the US spanned many years and such ties cannot be replicated either with Russia or China.

There is no doubt that Washington was trying to befriend India to serve its own purpose and interests, and was now willing to accept New Delhi as partner and not an ally, Subrahmanyam said.

India therefore had a leverage, he added. Subrahmanyam said the US was worried over the rapid growth of China and feared Beijing overtaking it.

Washington believed English-speaking youths, trained manpower, political stability, huge young skilled workforce, among others, in India would be to its advantage.

India would also help the US solve its economic problems in the future, he observed.

According to him, ideas to befriend India in the US came from intellectuals like Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, a professor in International Relations.