'He is creating a culture of fear.'
United States Congressman Dr Ami Bera, the longest serving Indian American in the US House of Representatives, is in India on an outreach mission amidst the turbulence in India-US relations.
The visit is intended to undo some of the mixed signals sent by President Donald John Trump and to reaffirm that there is no shift in the long-term India-Us strategic and business partnership.
Acknowledging the restraint shown by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in navigating the tension, Bera led a Congressional delegation which met senior government officials, industry leaders and officials at the Western Naval Command.
Dr Bera's parents moved to the US from Gujarat. He was born in Los Angeles and has been a life-long Californian. His medical career spanned 20 years before he was elected to represent Sacremento to the House of Representatives in 2013. His wife Janine is also a medical doctor.
He currently serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee as the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific and recently secured the inclusion of 11 amendments during the House Foreign Affairs Committee's markup of State Department Reauthorization bills, including on the US-India Strategic Partnership.
The amendment mandates biannual State Department reports for five years on US-India cooperation across defence, technology, diplomacy, economic resilience and continued congressional engagement with India.
In an interaction with Rediff's Archana Masih and Prasanna Zore in Mumbai, Congressman Bera discussed a wide range of issues from the Trump administration's pivot towards Pakistan, the H1 B visas hike, the silence of the Indian Diaspora and if Donald Trump has fallen out of love with India. Video coverage: Afsar Dayatar/Rediff
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On what the Congressional trip to India has achieved...
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff
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