A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers will visit India to take part in the Independence Day celebrations. The delegation will attend Red Fort address of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the country’s Independence Day on August 15, according to an official statement.
The Congressional delegation will be led by Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna and Congressman Michael Waltz, who are co-chairs of the bipartisan Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans. Congressmen Deborah Ross, Kat Cammack, Shri Thanedar, and Jasmine Crockett, as well as Rich McCormick and Ed Case, are also members of the bipartisan group. The caucus is a bipartisan collaboration of lawmakers dedicated to fostering better relations between India and the United States.
The visiting delegation will meet with representatives from several industries, including business, technology, government, and Bollywood in Mumbai, Hyderabad, and New Delhi and visit Raj Ghat, the memorial dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi. Khanna stated, “We are proud to lead a bipartisan delegation to India.. My grandfather spent his life fighting for India’s independence. So, this is a deeply personal and meaningful trip for me. It is also a historic moment for the U.S.-India relationship.”
He further informed that they will be in India to discuss how to strengthen economic and defence ties between both two counties, which is the oldest and largest democracies. “This trip will deepen the coordination and partnership between our countries and allow us to engage on important issues like decarbonisation, digitisation, economic partnership, defence ties, and pluralism and human rights,” he said.
Earlier this year, Khanna and Waltz hosted a historic US-India Summit on the Hill featuring panels and remarks from government leaders, experts, and Indian-American leaders from across the country.
Furthermore, ahead of the arrival, the group of U.S. lawmakers led by Indian-American Congressman Shri Thanedar have introduced resolution to declare August 15, India’s Independence Day as the ‘National Day of Celebration of the World’s Two Largest Democracies’. The resolution expresses the belief that the strong partnership between the India and United States rooted in shared democratic values, will continue to advance global democracy and foster peace, stability, and prosperity for all nations.