Indian-American Congressmen to attend PM's address on I-Day

Washington, Aug 8 (IANS) Two prominent Indian-American lawmakers, Ro Khanna and Shri Thanedar will travel to India with a bipartisan congressional delegation and attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Red Fort address on Independence Day.

Khanna is leading the delegation with Congressman Michael Waltz -- both co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans.

"As co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans, we are proud to lead a bipartisan delegation to India. We will be there to discuss how to strengthen economic and defence ties between our two counties, the oldest and largest democracies," Khanna said in a media statement.

"Both of us believe that the US-India relationship will be a defining one of the 21st century. India is a key partner in ensuring multipolarity in Asia and the denial of China as a hegemon," he said.

They will meet business, tech, government leaders, and prominent media personalities in Mumbai, Hyderabad and New Delhi, and visit Raj Ghat.

The delegation also includes Deborah Ross, Kat Cammack and Jasmine Crockett, along with Rich McCormick and Ed Case.

For Khanna, the visit is history coming full circle. His grandfather Amarnath Vidyalankar was an Indian freedom fighter who spent four years in jail alongside Mahatma Gandhi and later was part of India’s first Parliament, the media statement issued on Monday, said.

"We must continue to strive to make progress and build our partnership based on our shared founding values of democracy, freedom of the press and assembly, and human rights. This delegation is a historic opportunity to drive further collaboration and advance shared aims," Khanna said.

Earlier this year, Khanna and Waltz hosted a historic US-India Summit on the Hill featuring panels and remarks from government leaders, experts, and Indian-American leaders from across the country.

Khanna, 46, is the second Indian-American after Ami Bera to hold the position of co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans since its inception in 1993.