05-10-2005, 09:46 PM
Note from Ram Narayananji:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->INDIA ABROAD dated May 6, 2005 extensively covered the first conference ever organized to gauge the effectiveness of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans since its creation more than a decade ago.
The conference was convened in Washington by Bridging Nations, a non-profit policy-oriented organization founded by Dr Prakash Ambegaonkar, a technology entrepreneur.
Dr Ambegaonkar challenged the panelists and participants to explore the question whether the Caucus was fulfilling its potential.
For friends of India, including the Indian American community, some of the interesting points made at the discussion and the points for action are summarized below:
***While the House India Caucus has been around for a long time -- it's got a track record that one can look at and decide, how does it stack up -- the Senate India Caucus is very much a work in progress. (After their first meeting a year ago or so, to announce the creation of the Senate Friends of India Caucus, they never met!).
***The purpose of the House Caucus from the very beginning was to try to bring members together to talk about US-India relations and issues that also might impact the Indian American community and to basically create a positive consensus-based support for improved relations between the United States and India within the House of Representatives. It was an effort to try to get members of Congress to be more supportive and more knowledgeable and educated about Indian American issues. It was also responding to the fact that many Congressmen felt those who were anti-Indian were sort of moving the agenda forward or making progress in turning the Congress against India and against improved US-India relations. The Caucus was very successful in warding off attacks against India by the anti-India elements.
***Then, after punitive sanctions were slapped against India in the wake of the nuclear tests in May 1998, and all of a sudden it looked like the US might be going back to the anti-India rhetoric being the norm, the India Caucus mobilized and  quickly moved in and started to say that the sanctions should be removed, that the US should be understanding of India's nuclear program. The Caucus was able to get Congress to understand that India's nuclear program made sense, it was rational, it was civilian-based, and it was defensive.
***For the most part, the most severe sanctions were eliminated fairly quickly.
***On domestic issues the Congress was able to get support for hate crimes legislation -- in federalizing it -- and was able to get some support for doing some things with AAPI (American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin) in terms of studying certain types of diseases and disorders that particularly affect the South Asia community and get funding to the tune of about half a million dollars.
***In the beginning, just getting members to go to India, getting more Indian organizations involved in the political process in voting or fundraising or whatever, was far from routine. And the Caucus was successful in that effort.
***The House Caucus, however, is not fulfilling its potential. Some consider it to be more of a booster club -- cheerleading -- than a serious policy-oriented organization adjunct to Congressional work.
***At least some members regard it primarily as a cash cow -- as an opportunity to shake down the Indian American community for political donations..... they can get away with that because the Indian American community allows them to do so.
***May be only 20 House Caucus members (out of 170 plus members) are active. If the Caucus is to become more effective, it's necessary to push those other members to be serious, not simply to add their names on a roll.
***The Caucus needs to be more serious about its agenda. It should be something more substantial than simply passing resolutions commending India's Republic Day or naming post offices. There are more important issues.
***The Caucus has to become more genuinely bipartisan. Democrats outnumber Republicans in the Caucus right now by about a margin of 60-40 -- 3 to 2 -- even though there are more Republicans than Democrats in the House of Representatives today.
***Once the Indian American constituents got their congressmen to join the Caucus, the next step is to urge them to be active.
*** Is there a little bit of complacence on the part of the community? Are Indian Americans constituents challenging the Caucus enough considering that American Congressmen and Senators like to be badgered by the constituency? They like to be reminded. Are they being sent faxes and emails and letters and given an agenda.
***It's true Congressmen look for political contributions before elections, but it's a human relationship that the community needs building up. It's an investment in a relationship. So it's not just expanding the Caucus, but the Caucus members must be cultivated. There is need to put some passion into the relationships. Is enough being done by the community to really focus on building relationships, prepare an agenda and push the House Representatives and the Senators to carry it forward?
***Why it is that the community doesn't demand more from the people who are supposed to be advocating its interests? The community should not wait until a decision is already made before it gets involved in an issue if the issue is important to the community. The community has got to be proactive.
The above points provide a basis for friends of India, especially members of the Indian American community, to get their act together to make the India Caucus more effective.
Will they respond in sufficient numbers?
That's the critical question.
To read Aziz Haniffa's reports on the conference proceedings, please log on to the US-India Friendship website at http://www.usindiafriendship.net/ and click:
Congress: Measuring the India Caucus -- Report on the First Conference to Gauge the Group's Effectiveness
Criticism Aplenty of India Caucus
Pallone: Sometimes People Expect A lot<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->INDIA ABROAD dated May 6, 2005 extensively covered the first conference ever organized to gauge the effectiveness of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans since its creation more than a decade ago.
The conference was convened in Washington by Bridging Nations, a non-profit policy-oriented organization founded by Dr Prakash Ambegaonkar, a technology entrepreneur.
Dr Ambegaonkar challenged the panelists and participants to explore the question whether the Caucus was fulfilling its potential.
For friends of India, including the Indian American community, some of the interesting points made at the discussion and the points for action are summarized below:
***While the House India Caucus has been around for a long time -- it's got a track record that one can look at and decide, how does it stack up -- the Senate India Caucus is very much a work in progress. (After their first meeting a year ago or so, to announce the creation of the Senate Friends of India Caucus, they never met!).
***The purpose of the House Caucus from the very beginning was to try to bring members together to talk about US-India relations and issues that also might impact the Indian American community and to basically create a positive consensus-based support for improved relations between the United States and India within the House of Representatives. It was an effort to try to get members of Congress to be more supportive and more knowledgeable and educated about Indian American issues. It was also responding to the fact that many Congressmen felt those who were anti-Indian were sort of moving the agenda forward or making progress in turning the Congress against India and against improved US-India relations. The Caucus was very successful in warding off attacks against India by the anti-India elements.
***Then, after punitive sanctions were slapped against India in the wake of the nuclear tests in May 1998, and all of a sudden it looked like the US might be going back to the anti-India rhetoric being the norm, the India Caucus mobilized and  quickly moved in and started to say that the sanctions should be removed, that the US should be understanding of India's nuclear program. The Caucus was able to get Congress to understand that India's nuclear program made sense, it was rational, it was civilian-based, and it was defensive.
***For the most part, the most severe sanctions were eliminated fairly quickly.
***On domestic issues the Congress was able to get support for hate crimes legislation -- in federalizing it -- and was able to get some support for doing some things with AAPI (American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin) in terms of studying certain types of diseases and disorders that particularly affect the South Asia community and get funding to the tune of about half a million dollars.
***In the beginning, just getting members to go to India, getting more Indian organizations involved in the political process in voting or fundraising or whatever, was far from routine. And the Caucus was successful in that effort.
***The House Caucus, however, is not fulfilling its potential. Some consider it to be more of a booster club -- cheerleading -- than a serious policy-oriented organization adjunct to Congressional work.
***At least some members regard it primarily as a cash cow -- as an opportunity to shake down the Indian American community for political donations..... they can get away with that because the Indian American community allows them to do so.
***May be only 20 House Caucus members (out of 170 plus members) are active. If the Caucus is to become more effective, it's necessary to push those other members to be serious, not simply to add their names on a roll.
***The Caucus needs to be more serious about its agenda. It should be something more substantial than simply passing resolutions commending India's Republic Day or naming post offices. There are more important issues.
***The Caucus has to become more genuinely bipartisan. Democrats outnumber Republicans in the Caucus right now by about a margin of 60-40 -- 3 to 2 -- even though there are more Republicans than Democrats in the House of Representatives today.
***Once the Indian American constituents got their congressmen to join the Caucus, the next step is to urge them to be active.
*** Is there a little bit of complacence on the part of the community? Are Indian Americans constituents challenging the Caucus enough considering that American Congressmen and Senators like to be badgered by the constituency? They like to be reminded. Are they being sent faxes and emails and letters and given an agenda.
***It's true Congressmen look for political contributions before elections, but it's a human relationship that the community needs building up. It's an investment in a relationship. So it's not just expanding the Caucus, but the Caucus members must be cultivated. There is need to put some passion into the relationships. Is enough being done by the community to really focus on building relationships, prepare an agenda and push the House Representatives and the Senators to carry it forward?
***Why it is that the community doesn't demand more from the people who are supposed to be advocating its interests? The community should not wait until a decision is already made before it gets involved in an issue if the issue is important to the community. The community has got to be proactive.
The above points provide a basis for friends of India, especially members of the Indian American community, to get their act together to make the India Caucus more effective.
Will they respond in sufficient numbers?
That's the critical question.
To read Aziz Haniffa's reports on the conference proceedings, please log on to the US-India Friendship website at http://www.usindiafriendship.net/ and click:
Congress: Measuring the India Caucus -- Report on the First Conference to Gauge the Group's Effectiveness
Criticism Aplenty of India Caucus
Pallone: Sometimes People Expect A lot<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->