Indian-American body launches major lobbying drive for N-deal

Dharam Shourie

New York, Sep 20 (PTI) With the legislative clock ticking
away for approval of the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal, an
organisation of Indian Americans has launched a major lobbying
effort to convince lawmakers that it is in the interest of
both countries that the agreement goes through before the
Congress adjourns next week.

After meeting several influential lawmakers, Chairman of
the Indian-Americans for Democrats, Sant Singh Chatwal, told
reporters it is important that the community bodies maintain
pressure at a time when dealing with economic crisis in the
aftermath of market meltdown has become the highest priority
for the Congressmen.

Though his organisation has traditionally supported the
Democrats, Chatwal said it is also reaching out to ranking
Republicans to ensure that the deal has smooth passage next
week before the Congress adjourns on September 26.

The Indian Americans for Democrats, which contributed
millions of dollars to the Presidential campaign of the party,
along with other community bodies has been active in lobbying
for the deal since Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President
George W. Bush signed it in July 2005.

During the last two weeks, delegations led by Chatwal met
House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Chairman of the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joseph Biden and
influential Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton and lawmakers
Gary Ackerman, Joseph Crowley and Charles Schumer among
others, both in groups and singly.

Replying to a question, Chatwal said he had been assured
by Pelosi that she would try her best to bring the deal to
vote but cautioned no one could be sure of its fate as there
were still some holdouts.

What Indian-Americans for Democrats were doing was
to approach the leaders to prevail upon their party members to
allow the deal to go through and if possible before Prime
Minister Singh meets Bush on Thursday in Washington.

The Senate hearing on the deal earlier this week, Chatwal
said, has gone well and that gives hope that it would be go
through before the Congress adjourns next week.

His organisation, he said, has been arguing – "perhaps
convincingly" – that it is in the interest of both countries
and would be good for American business as India would need
billions of dollars worth of equipment and the United States
has the most advanced technology.

The next few days would be crucial, Chatwal said and
expressed the hope that the efforts of Indian American
community and their several organisations would pay off at
this crucial time.

Asked whether the lawmakers have assured the Indian
American leaders that the deal would be passed before Singh's
Washington visit, he replied, "That's what we are aiming at."