Author: Vijendra Agarwal

An act of diplomatic triumph, strength, and growing US- India friendship when the US’s top diplomat, Antony Blinken, announced, “I am designating Burma (Myanmar), the People’s Republic of China, Eritrea, Iran, the DPRK, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan as Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) for having engaged in or tolerated systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom.’ India is not on the list, which was recommended by the USCIRF, an agency infiltrated by anti-India commissioners.

It goes back to April when I wrote that it is ‘the Concerned but Prejudiced Commissioners (the CPC) who labelled India a CPC which it is not. The announcement in Washington proves it and establishes that the state of violation of religious freedom in India does not warrant CPC. The Report had particularly noted the passage of the “religiously discriminatory” Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and that there was seeming police complicity in the Delhi riots. The exclusion of India by US Secretary of State Blinken from the list of CPCs also absolves India from any wrongdoing in passing the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) which, in fact, is similar to the US’s Lautenberg law. India must remain guarded, however, because most of the USCIRF commissioners are still there. They must be collecting the news selectively and clandestinely in an attempt to label India a CPC. Let us hope my suspicions prove to be wrong when the next USCIRF report comes out in March/April 2022.

India’s diplomatic relations with the US has been a strong influence on this change. The Indian diaspora, especially the Hindu Americans in the US have also contributed in their own ways to strengthen the ties between the two nations. In spite of the efforts from anti-India forces, the US today recognises the extraordinary contributions that Hindu Americans have made to society. In effect, India and the US are highly connected today and strengthening their bonds.

Modi’s friendship with Biden may not be as strong as with Trump yet but it is only the first year of Biden’s presidency. The invitation for India to be a part of the QUAD (Australia, India, Japan, and the US) as a hedge against expansionist China is one of many indications that the US. friendship with India is strong. Add to it, multiple visits of high-level delegations to each other’s capitals and ongoing dialog for strengthening US-India cooperation on many fronts- S&T, space, defence, environment, etc.

Let us also thank and acknowledge a strong Indian diaspora in the US who serve India’s social ambassadors and are behind-the-scenes diplomats. It may be worth recalling that India’s image took a complete turnaround for the better during Clinton’s visit when Vajpayee was the Prime Minister at the turn of the century. It was then when India’s IT gurus saved the United States from the fears of Y2K- the most magical moment for the intellectual capacity of the Indian diaspora to be elevated to new heights. It has continued to grow ever since with many Indian Americans heading large corporations such that Nadella of Microsoft and Pichai of Google, just to name the two most powerful in the industry. Today, the Indian diaspora, among the growing Asian immigrants, is the fastest growing with 4 million strong making up ~1.2 percent of the US population. They are not only strong in numbers but constitute the highest earners among all ethnic groups.

Another strong indication of the growing influence of large numbers of Hindu Americans among Indian Americans is that about one-half of the States declared October as the Hindu Heritage Month. It is relevant to discuss Hindu Americans’ contributions in the US because USCIRF attempted to virtually divide the Indian diaspora in the US along religious lines by quoting isolated incidences of Hindu-Muslim conflicts in India. The USCIRF failed to recognize that all nations have good, bad, and ugly characters but India has more of the former type. The citations of their standing in political, social, and economic spheres were excellent. For example, I quote from one of my earlier publications:

  • Immense gratification with American Hindus, in various proclamations, being characterized as rock-solid family structure, source of inspiration, sterling reputation, code of living, dedication, ingenuity, problem solvers, living for education, and people of steadfast conviction in a world that is everchanging.
  • Long overdue recognition for contributions by Hindus in all aspects of cultural, economic, social, political, education, spirituality, yoga, meditation, Vedanta philosophy, Ayurveda, classical art, drama, and music, literature, generosity, and community service.
  • Hindus lead successful careers in almost all professions like physicians, lawyers, scientists, economists, philosophers, artists, academics, business leaders, government officials, politics, information technology, and engineers, pharmacy, retail industry, and others. Perhaps, no well-paying and valued profession requiring quantitative and life skills are devoid of Hindu Americans.
  • In fact, India, a proven, largest, and thriving democracy is a natural ally of the oldest democracy and is of no concern at all. India is a peaceful nation with no intentions to strike against any country and no plans for expansion beyond its own territorial boundaries including Kashmir as her integral part.

India has always promoted secular ethos under its constitution. But at the same time, we have also proved that we are capable of protecting our boundaries, honor, and valor against any threats. Amidst looming border threats by China and Pakistan, and growing/continuing internal threats by several groups, a triumphant India moves ahead!

This article for first published on OpIndia

Vijendra Agarwal, born in village Kota (Saharanpur, U.P), left India in 1973 after Ph.D. (Physics) from IIT Roorkee. A researcher in Italy, Japan, and France, he came to the US in 1978. He was a faculty and academic administrator in several different universities in PA, TX, NJ, MN, WI, and NY, and an Executive Fellow in the White House S&T Policy during the Clinton administration. In November 2014, he and his wife co-founded a US-based NGO, Vidya Gyan, to serve rural India toward education, health, and empowerment of girls and overall development. Vidya Gyan is a calling to give back to rural communities which gave him so much more. His passion for writing includes the interface of policy, politics, and people, and social/cultural activities promoting community engagement.

DISCLAIMER: The author is solely responsible for the views expressed in this article. The author carries the responsibility for citing and/or licensing of images utilized within the text.