Obama, McCain back strong Indo-U.S. relations

Washington, Nov 4 (PTI) Barack Obama and John McCain, heading for a showdown in the U.S. presidential polls Tuesday, support the growing Indo-U.S. partnership and favour strong ties with the world's largest democracy, but differ on critical issues like outsourcing.

The 47-year-old Illinois Senator who is aspiring to
become the first black-American President, is said to have a
close affinity with things Indian. He carries a small figure
of Lord Hanuman for luck, was familiar with the Ramayana
during his days in Indonesia and had a picture of Mahatma
Gandhi placed in his Senate office.

However, his strong-anti-outsourcing stance, which came
to fore repeatedly during the campaign trail, is creating
unease among Indians.

"When I am President I will give tax credits to companies
that hire in the United States and end tax breaks for
companies that ship U.S. jobs overseas," he has said.

Obama also introduced a 'killer amendment' during debate
on the Indo-U.S. civil nuclear deal in the powerful Foreign
Relations Committee, though he voted for the agreement later
and asserted that he backs the landmark accord.

His recent remarks that the U.S. should try to help
resolve the Kashmir problem so that Pakistan can focus on
hunting down militants on its restive north-west border have
also been seen in some quarters as suggesting outside
interference in the issue.

Despite this, an informal opinion poll has suggested that
an overwhelming 81 percent of Indian-Americans will vote for
Obama while merely 19 percent will support McCain.

The African-American Senator is being seen by many as a
symbol of the aspirations of the immigrant community.

There is also the factor that Indians had traditionally
been Democrats and, like any other community in the U.S., are
worried about the economic policies of the Bush Administration
amid the financial turmoil.

"Barack Obama's vision for America is our vision, and his
story is our story. As the son of a foreign-born father, he
has personally experienced the challenges of race and identity
that affect our community... We support Senator Obama's
candidacy because of the promise it holds for our future,"
South Asians for Obama, a lobby group, says on its website.

Still, many Indian-Americans oppose Obama for President,
arguing that if McCain wins, he would continue the Bush
Administration policies of bulilding a startegic partnership
with India and keep the commitments made in the nuclear deal.

The 72-year-old Republican Senator "understands we have a
global economy and realises that if we raise taxes on small
businesses here, many will simply relocate abroad and America
will lose out," 'Indians for McCain' says.

McCain is seen as a supporter of outsourcing and
globalised economy and raising the cap on H-1B visas for
highly-skilled professionals, which are sought by a large
number of Indians every year.

Both the candidates have all along maintained they want
strong ties with India and ackonowledged the contribution of
the Indian-Americans, saying their knowledge, skills and
entrepreneurial spirit have benefited both the countries.

Observing that India's recent economic achievements
remain a "great source of admiration" in the U.S., McCain had
said in a message on the country's Independence Day that it is
one of America's "closest democratic partners".

"It is only natural that the world's oldest and the
world's largest constitutional democracies should enjoy strong
relations...With India, America has one of its most important
relationships in an uncertain world," Obama had said on the
same day. PTI SDG