Clinton to take ties with India to new level

Days after Republican front runner in the US Presidential elections Donald Trump mocked Indian call centre employees, Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton’s campaign slammed Mr Trump for disrespecting Indian workers. If elected as the President of the US, an administration under Ms Clinton promised to take ties with India to a new level.

Giving a hint of what ties with India could look like under a Clinton administration, the Chairman of Ms Clinton’s campaign committee John Podesta said that a Democratic administration under her will have a significant presence of Indian Americans. Mr Podesta was speaking at the inauguration of Indian-Americans for Hillary Clinton (IAHC) on April 24. The IAHC is a platform that seeks to mobilise the Indian community in swing states like Florida, Ohio where the contest is expected to be close in the November elections.

Reacting strongly to Mr Trump’s statement, Mr Podesta said: “I think it was typical of the disrespect he has shown for groups across the spectrum. He has run a campaign of hatred and bigotry, and that is dangerous. ”Ms Clinton believed immigration was good for the US and its economy,” he added.

As the front runner to clinch the Democratic nomination, Ms Clinton has a sizeable support base among the Indian community in the US. Many businessmen and industrialists from the Indian community are also known to be close to Ms Clinton. They are also said to be actively endorsing her for the post of US President.

Emphasising on the importance of ties with India, Mr Podesta said: “Successive presidents have been in agreement on strengthening relations with India, and Ms. Clinton would follow in that tradition.” The current administration under President Barack Obama has also promoted many Indians and given them important advisory positions. However, a Clinton administration could see a first Indian-American Cabinet appointment.

“I could think of at least one person, who you have already spokes with, who I would like to see in a future Democratic administration,” Mr Podesta said. He was referring to Neera Tanden, a prominent Indian-American among the strategic thinkers in the US and head of the Center for American Progress, a top American think-tank. She has worked with Ms Clinton for many years.

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