Rep. Ro Khanna will be the next chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, he told NBC News in an exclusive interview last week. Khanna, a Democrat who has been representing California’s 17th Congressional District since 2017, is the first Indian American to helm the bipartisan caucus.
“When I started on this journey, in my 20s, there was a huge novelty to having someone of Indian origin even enter politics,” he said. “The Indian American diaspora can play such an important role in helping strengthen the U.S.-India partnership. … I think this is a historic moment for our community. I think we’re really emerging and coming into our own as a strong voice.”
The caucus was established in 1993 with an intent to strengthen relations between the U.S. and India and was previously chaired by Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., and former Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Ohio.
But as the first person of Indian descent to lead it, Khanna hopes to take the caucus beyond its original goal. The Indian diaspora in the U.S. has its own unique needs, he said, and the position could be an opportunity to bring them to the forefront.
“I’m going to try to make it about not just us India, but also the Indian American community and highlighting the contributions of that community,” he said. “I think being Indian America and being part of the community, knowing so many of the community leaders, knowing the passions and interests of young people, I’ll be able to do that.”
Having spent much of his career in Northern California’s Silicon Valley, Khanna said he’s been immersed in Indian American issues for years. The rising tide of Hindu nationalism is something on the forefront of the diaspora’s collective consciousness; from professional spheres to college campuses, reports of Islamophobia and casteism abound in South Asian spaces.
Khanna hasn’t shied away from those conversations, and his vocalness has in the past sparked outrage from right-wing Indian…
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