California Rep. Ami Bera addresses the crowd at the Indian Embassy with Ambassador Sarna at his side. Photo courtesy: Embassy of India
Indian ambassador to the U.S., Navtej Sarna.
WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — Indian ambassador to the U.S. Navtej Sarna hosted a congressional reception Tuesday at the Indian Embassy to celebrate the country’s engagement with the 115th U.S. Congress.
Members of congress, their staffers and prominent figures from the Indian-American community were on hand to hear the ambassador. He described the gathering as a demonstration of the U.S.-India relationship. It’s a relationship that’s been built on shared democratic values and converging the strategic interests of the two nations, Sarna said.
Rep. Steny Hoyer, the House Democratic Whip, echoed the same testament of bipartisan support for the U.S.’s relationship with India, he also emphasized the cooperation between the two countries on matters of national and world security. Rep. Pete Olson spoke about the contributions and successes of the Indian-American community back in his home state of Texas, especially the contributions they’ve made in developing Houston’s energy sector.
Click on the slideshow below to see images from the event:
Congressman Bob Goodlatte with Deputy Chief of Mission Amb. Reenat Sandhu
Congressman Joe Kennedy with Deputy Chief of Mission Amb. Reenat Sandhu.
Congressman Steny Hoyer addressing the gathering.
Guests in attendance.
Congressman Pete Olson addressing the gathering.
Congressman Dana Rohrabacher addressing the gathering.
Congressman George Holding addressing the gathering.
Congressman Hank Johnson addressing the gathering.
Ambassador Navtej Sarna addressing the gathering.
Guests in attendance
Ambassador Navtej Sarna with Congressman George Holding
Ambassador Navtej Sarna with Senator Jeff Flake
Ambassador Navtej Sarna with Congressman Ted Yoho
California Rep. Ami Bera addresses the crowd at the Indian Embassy with Ambassador Sarna at his side. Photo courtesy: Embassy of India
California Rep. Ami Bera, Democratic Chair of the House India Caucus, said the increased number of elected Indian-Americans is a testimony to the remarkable strides that the community has made. Bera cited the fact the India Caucus is one of the largest on the Hill, and he firmly believes the U.S.-India relationship will be the most defining of the 21st century.
Two U.S. Congressional delegations will travel to India the week of Feb. 19, one of which is traveling with the Aspen Institute — the Aspen delegation includes 19 senior members of the House that will visit Delhi and Hyderabad. The second delegation, led by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, will include seven other members of the House that will travel to Delhi and Bangalore.
