US President-elect Barack Obama is a solid supporter of the growing Indo-US strategic partnership and backs the landmark bilateral nuclear deal, but has strong views about outsourcing of American jobs overseas, a cause of concern for Indian businesses.
The 47-year-old, elected as the first black President of the United States of America, is said to have a close affinity with things Indian. He carries a miniature figure of Lord Hanuman for luck and had a picture of Mahatma Gandhi placed in his Senate office.
However, one factor that is creating unease among Indians is Obama's strong anti-outsourcing stance, which came to fore repeatedly during the campaign trail.
". . . . unlike John McCain, I will stop giving tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas, and I will start giving them to companies that create good jobs right here in America," he has said.
This was one of the key issues on which the Indian-American supporters of his rival John McCain were focussing on to argue that an Obama presidency will be a bad news for India's growing BPO sector.
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However, some experts have noted that protectionist measures will be difficult to implement in a globalised world and felt that the fears were overblown.
In a message of India's 62nd Independence Day, Obama had said Gandhi's active role in India's independence movement has 'inspired generations of young people around the world to pursue freedom in their own countries'.
"As freedom faces challenges in many parts of the world, his (Gandhi's) example is even more
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