US lawmakers to be present at Red Fort during PM Modi's address

Washington: A bipartisan group of US lawmakers are travelling to India to participate in the Red Ford address of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 15 among other things, according to an official statement.

The bi-partisan Congressional delegation is led by Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna and Congressman Michael Waltz. The two are co-chairs of the bipartisan Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans.

The lawmakers will visit Red Fort where the Prime Minister will address the nation on August 15th, India’s Independence Day.

They will meet with business, tech, government, and Bollywood leaders in Mumbai, Hyderabad, and New Delhi and visit Raj Ghat, a historic memorial dedicated to Gandhi, the media release said.

Khanna and Waltz will be joined by Congressmen Deborah Ross, Kat Cammack, Shri Thanedar, and Jasmine Crockett along with Rich McCormick and Ed Case.

For Congressman Khanna, this is history coming full circle.

“His grandfather Amarnath Vidyalankar was an Indian freedom fighter who spent four years in jail alongside Gandhi and later was part of India’s first parliament,” said the statement issued on Monday. “As co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, we are proud to lead a bipartisan delegation to India. We will be there to discuss how to strengthen economic and defense ties between our two counties, the oldest and largest democracies,” Khanna said.

“Both of us believe that the US-India relationship will be a defining one of the 21st century. India is a key partner in ensuring multipolarity in Asia and the denial of China as a hegemon,” he said. “We must continue to strive to make progress and build our partnership based on our shared founding values of democracy, freedom of the press and assembly, and human rights. This delegation is a historic opportunity to drive further collaboration and advance shared aims,” Khanna said.

Earlier this year, Khanna and Waltz hosted a historic US-India Summit on the Hill featuring panels and remarks from government leaders, experts, and Indian-American leaders from across the country.