WASHINGTON: Congresswoman Deborah Ross, co-chair of the Congressional Study Group on India (CSGI) and a strong supporter of India-US ties, expressed confidence that the bilateral relationship can be “repaired.”
In an exclusive interview with IANS in Washington on Thursday, Ross said she was “very heartened” with the fact that trade negotiations have resumed between the two sides. She also spoke about the murder of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk on Wednesday, saying, “violence has no place in our political discourse.”
Deborah Ross is a Democratic Representative from North Carolina, and serves on the House Judiciary Committee and the House Committee on Space, Science, and Technology.
Below are excerpts from the interview:
IANS: What's your reaction to the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk and the rising cases of political violence in the country?
Ross: First of all, violence has no place in our political discourse, and I think that the rhetoric has gotten so heated that people are starting to resort to violence. This is not the first time we have seen this.
More than a year ago, there was an assassination attempt on then-candidate and now President Trump. We also saw the assassination of Minnesota lawmakers, and this is a very, very serious thing. We have got to as elected officials take responsibility for dialling back this rhetoric and setting a better example for the American people, and that includes the President of the United States, who, on many occasions, has advocated violence.
IANS: You have been a big supporter of India-US bilateral ties. President Trump, on Tuesday, announced the resumption of trade talks with India after a period of escalated tensions. How do you analyse the Trump administration's India strategy?
Ross: I'm baffled by it, as are so many other business people, and of course, as is India. But I'm very heartened that the dialogue has reopened. The last thing we need to do, after 30 years of a positive dialogue and a positive educational relationship, business relationship, we are the two largest democracies in the world, the last thing we should do is push India away from us to Russia and China.
And I think the fact that the Chinese Premier had hosted both India and Russia really made a huge impression on people in the United States and the folks in Washington to restart this relationship. And we need to continue that for the Indian diaspora, but also for the good of democracy and economic relations and innovation and for the whole world.
IANS: Indian students form the largest group of international students in the United States and contribute $9 billion annually to the US economy. In July, you led a bipartisan group of 14 lawmakers urging Secretary of State Marco Rubio to address recent delays for Indian students seeking to obtain student visa appointments to begin or continue their studies in the United States. Has there been any progress on the issue?
Ross: I haven't heard directly back from Secretary Rubio, but I have been in touch with a lot of institutions of higher education about how they are pushing through those visas and how they are working with those students.