4.1 Million In US, 130 In Team Biden: Why Indian-Americans Matter

New Delhi:

After years of trying to build influence, the Indian-American community has finally started gaining prominence in US politics. The Joe Biden administration honouring Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a State Visit, reserved for the closest of allies, is only going to enhance the community’s importance.

Among Asian Americans, Indian-Americans make up the fastest-growing slice of the electorate and among the most politically active.

Data by American Community Survey says there are at least 4.1 million Americans of Indian heritage, comprising 1.3 per cent of the US population and forming the second largest immigrant group in the US, after Mexican Americans.

Community Leaders Eager To Greet PM

Prime Minister Modi’s previous visits to the US have been marked by massive diaspora gatherings, such as the ones in Madison Square and Houston. This time, however, due to a shortage of time, the Indian community members will just get an hour to spend with the Prime Minister.

On June 23, immediately after finishing his official engagements at the State Visit and before proceeding to Egypt, Prime Minister Modi will address a gathering of 1,000 American Indians at Reagan Centre, Washington DC, on the role of diaspora in the growth of India and the US.

Bharat Barai, chairman of the Indian American Community Foundation, said the Prime Minister will just have one hour for the address as he is scheduled to leave for Egypt soon after. “He (Prime Minister Modi) has always been gracious to meet us and he squeezed us in despite his busy schedule. This was after we reached out to Foreign minister S Jaishankar and the Prime Minister, and they agreed to spend a few minutes with us before he leaves for Egypt,” he told NDTV.

Community leaders from Sikh groups, Dawoodi Bohra community, Maharashtra mandals, Gujarati samaj, doctors’ associations, motel owners’ associations, Telugu and Tamil groups and many others are expected to be part of the event with the Prime Minister.

Renowned singer Mary Miligen is likely to sing the national anthem, while Ria Pawar will sing the US anthem.

In fact, Indian-American community groups were hoping to host the Prime Minister in Chicago and had already booked three stadiums. But, since the State Visit was scheduled for two days and the Egypt visit immediately after that, the Chicago plan had to be cancelled.

The Indian-American community has a sizeable presence in many “battleground states” such as Pennsylvania, Florida and Ohio, which are critical to deciding the presidency. There are nearly 1.8 million Indian Americans, whose votes are crucial in swing states such as Arizona and Wisconsin and could help tip the election one way or another.

Politically, Indian-Americans have leaned towards Democrats, but there have been strong voices supporting Republicans in the recent past.

The current Biden administration has high representation of Indian-Americans in key posts. There are more than 130 Indian Americans in senior roles across the administration, with several serving in high-ranking White House positions never before occupied by immigrants.

Experts feel Kamala Harris’ swearing in as Vice-President marked a watershed moment for the community. Ms Harris has roots in Tamil Nadu.

Recently, Ajay Banga, an Indian-American, has assumed the role of President of the World Bank. He is the first American with Indian roots to lead the global financial institution.

President Biden made Bihar-born Ashish Jha of Brown University the coordinator of White House’s Covid-19 efforts.

Increasing influence in US Politics

Nearly 40 per cent of Indian immigrants arrived in the US after 2010 and the community is just beginning to show its political heft.

The representation of the Indian-American community has only increased in US politics since Bobby Jindal of Louisiana became the first Indian American to run for president.

In the last US election, Pramila Jayapal of Washington, Ro Khanna of California and Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois were elected, taking the number of Indian Americans in the House from one representative — Ami Bera of California who was elected in 2012 — to four.

In February, former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador, Nikki Haley announced that she would run for the US presidency in 2024. In her campaign, she spoke about being the proud daughter of Indian immigrants. “Not Black, not White, but different,” she said.

Soon after, Vivek Ramaswamy, a wealthy conservative entrepreneur, announced that he would join the 2024 presidential contest. Mr Ramaswamy has been attacking ‘wokeism’, and what he calls the work of the progressive Left.

The increasingly fierce battle between Democrats and Republicans for Indian-American votes shows that the community is becoming electorally important in many US states.

Also, being a high-earning and educated immigrant group makes Indian Americans a very attractive pool of potential donors for political campaigns. Both Republicans and Democrats have been making sincere efforts to court them, especially in regions likely to se close contests.

Indians hold dominant roles in a number of fields, from Information Technology to medicine to academia. There are other achievements too: 73 per cent of US’ National Spelling Bee winners since 1999 have been Indian Americans.

The economic might of the community is also significant as it is the richest ethnic group in the country with an average household income much more than the average household income in the US.

The Indian-American community has been the largest diaspora group in the world since 2010, and is a powerful resource for the Narendra Modi government.

Even opposition leaders such as Rahul Gandhi have actively pursued the Indian-American community to rally support for the Congress.