Indo-US ties have started to bloom under the Trump administration. There is no extravagant show of exuberant enjoyment of life between the officials from the two countries, apart from three phone conversations at the highest level. India has done impeccably and impressively well to refrain from reacting to rumors of impending executive actions from the White House.
Sen. Orrin Hatch says, Trump may not curb H1-B visa
China took the path of outright confrontation and agreed to a phone conversation with President Donald Trump only after ‘One China’ policy was voiced by the US. India followed a measured and calculated approach. Indian foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar said at the Gateway Dialogue in Mumbai: “Don’t demonize Trump. Analyze Trump. He represents a thought process. It’s not a momentary expression.”
IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, exchanged some words on vexatious issues, like protectionism regarding H-1B visas. India’s official spokespersons were cautious enough in not lambasting Trump or his new administration, despite the stock market in India taking a hit on worries of losses for India’s IT companies.
Trump has shown respect for India and Indian Americans. He warmly embraced an event held for him by the Republican Hindu Coalition, in New Jersey, and said, “I am a big fan of Hindu”. He has also taken a number of top Indian Americans into his administration, including the former Governor of North Carolina Nikki Haley – who, has proudly flaunted her Indian roots and heritage.
Other top Indian Americans in the Trump administration include Seema Verma, for handling Medicaid and Medicare, Ajit Pai, the head of the Federal Communications Commission, Preet Bharara, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Raj Shah, the Deputy Director of the White House Communications team and Uttam Dhillon, as the part of White House legal team with oversight over compliance and ethics matters.
Navtej Sarna hosts congressional reception at Washington DC
There have been several interesting interactions between the top Indian and US officials and legislators. India’s external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj spoke to her counterpart, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, over phone. The Indian Ambassador to the US Navtej Sarna had held a Congressional Reception on Capitol Hill in which several members of Congress had attended and spoke at the event.
A whopping 27 members of the US House of Representatives will be visiting India, to tour several cities. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting Washington later this year and Trump to reciprocate with a trip to India.
Sen. Orrin Hatch, a Republican from Utah who has interacted with Trump several times recently and has strongly supported the H-1B visa program, to reform it, increase the visa cap, ease the process of Green Cards for foreign workers. Hatch’s speech came as a relief to both Indian IT and Indian workers, after a couple of weeks where the H-1B visa program and foreign workers have been attacked incessantly by anti-immigration advocates and legislators.
By Premji
