Sky is the limit for India-US relationship: Nikki Haley

Agencies
February 1, 2018

Washington, Feb 1: Noting that President Donald Trump is very fond of his country's growing relationship with India, a top American diplomat has said that "sky is the limit" for this bilateral relationship.

Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for being aggressive in pursuing economic and administrative reforms, the US Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, told a select gathering high-achiever Indian-Americans that the Trump administration has also undertaken a similar operation.

It makes sense for the two democracies, having so much in common values to work together, Haley said in her remarks during her luncheon meeting hosted by the Indian Ambassador to the US, Navtej Singh Sarna, at his residence on Tuesday.

The luncheon, organised at a very short notice, was attended by some of the top Indian-Americans from across the country.

"It is always a delight to see the sense of pride that Ambassador Haley has in her Indian roots, and the high value she attaches to the India-US relationship even as she plays such a prominent role in the American political sphere," Sarna told PTI a day after.

Haley said when she entered the Trump administration, she desperately wanted to see the US-India relations to be very strong "which wasn't the case during the last two presidencies".

"It didn't make sense to me because when you look at the values, they're the same. When you look at the work ethic and what they believe from a corporate standpoint -- the same. When you look at the research and all the things that we do, these two democracies have so much in common," she said.

It makes sense for the two countries to be friends, the top Indian-American in the Trump administration said.

"We're seeing a growing interest, and a growing relationship and seeing that happen. The president is very very fond of what is happening with India, growing that relationship trying to make sure that we do more with India," Haley said.

"I think that sky's the limit now. We are going to continue to try and show the values of India to the United States and continue trying to show the values of the US to India," she said.

Haley said Modi was aggressively pursuing reforms and changes in India.

"He very much wants to streamline and do all of these reforms, that are very true for this (Trump) administration too. So I think it's a good combination to have them (Trump- Modi) together," Haley said.

Later in the evening, Haley attended the maiden State of the Union address by Trump at the US Capitol.

Haley is the first ever cabinet ranking Indian-American in any presidential administration.

In his remarks, Sarna described Haley as star of the Trump administration.

Sarna said Haley's story really showed that "can't is not an option".

"Coming from a coming from a family of immigrants, coming from a relatively small rural town and moving so quickly to hold the post of Governor was in itself a huge achievement," said Sarna.

"From there to here when over the last one year we have seen you become, if I may say so, the star of this administration," he said.

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News Network
June 4,2020

Jun 4: Mahatma Gandhi’s statue outside the Indian Embassy in Washington DC was vandalised with graffiti and spray painting by unknown persons allegedly involved in the ongoing protests in the US against the custodial killing of African-American George Floyd.

This has prompted the mission officials to register a complaint with the local law enforcement agencies.

The incident is reported to have taken place on the intervening night of June 2 and 3 in Washington DC.

The Indian embassy has informed the State Department and registered a complaint with local law enforcement agencies, which are now conducting an investigation into the incident.

On Wednesday, a team of officials from Metropolitan Police in consultation with the Diplomatic Security Service and National Park Police visited the site and are conducting inquiries.

Efforts are on to clean up the site at the earliest.

Vandalism of the statue of the apostle of peace comes during the week of nationwide protests against the custodial killing of African-American George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25.

Several of these protests have turned violent which many times has resulted in damage of some of the most prestigious and sacred American monuments.

In Washington DC, protestors this week burnt a historic church and damaged some of the prime properties and historic places like the national monument and Lincoln Memorial.

One of the few statues of a foreign leader on a federal land in Washington DC, the statue of Mahatma Gandhi was dedicated by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, in the presence of the then US president Bill Clinton on September 16, 2000, during his state visit to the US.

In October 1998, the US Congress had authorised the government of India to establish and maintain a memorial “to honour Mahatma Gandhi on Federal land in the District of Columbia."

According to the Indian Embassy website, the sculpture of Mahatma Gandhi is cast in bronze as a statue to a height of 8 feet 8 inches. It shows Gandhi in stride, as a leader and man of action evoking memories of his 1930 protest march against salt-tax, and the many padyatras (long marches) he undertook throughout the length and breadth of the Indian sub-continent.

The statue, the design of which was created by Gautam Pal, is a gift from the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR). The pedestal for the statue of Mahatma Gandhi is a block of new Imperial Red also known as Ruby Red a block originally weighing 25 tonnes reduced to a size of 9'x7'x3'4". It now weighs 16 tonnes.

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News Network
May 28,2020

Pulwama, May 28: A major incident of a vehicle-borne IED blast was averted by the timely input and action by Pulwama Police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Army, the Jammu and Kashmir Police said.

According to sources, Pulwama Police got credible information last night about a terrorist moving with an explosive-laden car ready to blast at some location. They took out various parties of police and security forces and covered all possible routes keeping themselves and the police and security forces away from the road at safer locations.

The suspected vehicle came and a few rounds were fired towards it. A little ahead this vehicle was abandoned and the driver escaped in the darkness. On close look, the vehicle was seen to be carrying heavy explosives in a drum on the rear seat. Possibly more explosive would be fitted elsewhere in the vehicle, sources added.

The vehicle was kept under watch for the night. People in nearby houses were evacuated and the vehicle exploded in situ by the Bomb Disposal Squad as moving the vehicle would have involved serious threat, sources said.

The vehicle reportedly sports a number plate of a scooter registered somewhere in Kathua district of Jammu zone, sources added.

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News Network
February 6,2020

Washington, Feb 6: The US has expressed concern over the current situation of religious freedom in India and raised the issue with Indian officials, a senior State Department official has said.

The remarks came in the wake of widespread protests held across India against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

The senior State Department official, on condition of anonymity, said that he has met with officials in India about what is taking place in the nation and expressed concern.

"We are concerned about what's taking place in India. I have met with the Indian foreign minister. I've met with the Indian ambassador (to express my concern)," the official, who was recently in India, told reporters on Wednesday.

The US has also "expressed desire first to try to help and work through some of these issues", the official said as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo launched a 27-nation International Religious Freedom Alliance.

"To me, the initial step we try to do in most places is say what can we do to be of help you work through an issue to where there's not religious persecution. That's the first step, is just saying can we work with you on this," the official said.

India maintains that the Indian Constitution guarantees fundamental rights to all its citizens, including its minority communities.

It is widely acknowledged that India is a vibrant democracy where the Constitution provides protection of religious freedom, and where democratic governance and rule of law further promote and protect fundamental rights, a senior official of the Ministry of External Affairs has said.

According to the CAA, members of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian communities who have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan till December 31, 2014 following religious persecution there will get Indian citizenship.

The Indian government has been emphasising that the new law will not deny any citizenship rights, but has been brought to protect the oppressed minorities of neighbouring countries and give them citizenship.

Defending the CAA, Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month said that the law is not about taking away citizenship, it is about giving citizenship.

"We must all know that any person of any religion from any country of the world who believes in India and its Constitution can apply for Indian citizenship through due process. There's no problem in that," he said.

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