US lawmakers to attend PM Modi's address on Independence Day at Red Fort

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• Aug 8, 2023 | Dhupali Das

A bipartisan group of US lawmakers are traveling to India to participate in the Red Fort address of...

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

The bipartisan 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 country on August 15. They will meet with business, technology, government, and Bollywood leaders in Mumbai, Hyderabad, and New Delhi, as well as visit Raj Ghat, a prominent Gandhi memorial, the media release said.

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

For Congressman Khanna, this is the culmination of history. His grandpa Amarnath Vidyalankar was an Indian freedom fighter who spent four years in jail alongside Gandhi and eventually became a member of India's first parliament, said the statement issued on August 7.

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"As co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, we are honored to lead a bipartisan delegation to India. We'll be there to talk about how to improve defense and economic connections between our two nations, which are the oldest and biggest democracies, Khanna said.

"We both believe that the United States-India relationship will be defined in the twenty-first century. India is a key partner in ensuring Asian multipolarity and the denial of China as a hegemon," he said.

"We must continue to strive for progress and to strengthen our partnership based on our shared founding values of democracy, press and assembly freedom, and human rights. This delegation is a historic opportunity to drive further collaboration and advance shared goals," Khanna said.

Earlier this year, Khanna and Waltz hosted a landmark US-India Summit on the Hill, which included panels and statements from government leaders, experts, and Indian-American leaders from across the country.