WASHINGTON D.C. (Diya TV) – California lawmaker Aisha Wahab has introduced a bill in the state Senate that would explicitly ban caste discrimination — the first such effort by a US state legislature. The Muslim American says this is a civil rights issue. But advocacy group Hindu American Foundation has criticized similar initiatives at companies, universities and cities, saying there’s virtually no data to justify a need for a caste discrimination bill and HAF believes it actually divides the South Asian community.
Indian-American Vedant Patel is stepping in to become the interim US State Department’s Spokesperson after Ned Price stepped down. Up to this point, Patel has served as the Principal Deputy Spokesperson.
Mindy Kaling was among the guests of honor at the White House. During a special ceremony, President Joe Biden presented Kaling with the National Medal of Arts, an accolade bestowed upon individuals or groups who have demonstrated “outstanding contributions to the excellence, growth, support and availability of the arts in the United States”.
Ravi Kapur contributed to this report.
