Indian American Congressman Shri Thanedar to Form Hindu Caucus to Eliminate Hate, Bigotry Against Community
- He made the announcement at the first-ever Hindu American Summit, held a week ahead of Prime Minister Modi’s three-day state visit.
Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.) wants to form a ‘Hindu Caucus’ in the U.S. Congress to bring like-minded lawmakers under one umbrella to eliminate hate and bigotry against Hindus in the country. Thanedar, the newest member of the “Samosa Caucus” in the U.S. Congress, made the announcement this week at the first-ever Hindu American Summit at the Capitol Visitor Center.
“It is important that every person has a right to choose a religion, pray (to) a God that he or she chooses without persecution, without discrimination, without hate or for those who may choose not to pray to a God,” the Press Trust of India quoted Thanedar as saying. “These are freedoms that are fundamental. These are fundamental human rights,” he told attendees at the event, organized by Americans4Hindus and supported by 20 other Hindu American groups.
The summit was held a week ahead of Prime Minister Modi’s three-day state visit. He is scheduled to address a joint session of the U.S. Congress on June 22.
Other lawmakers who addressed the summit include Reps. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.), Michelle Steel (R-Calif.), and Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas). McCormick announced a bipartisan Congressional delegation to India in August, while Steel showed her support for the Hindu community by sharing similarities with the Korean and Indian American experiences. “The Hindu American community is only now realizing its power and influence,” McCormick said. “This community can determine the outcome of the next presidential election. Don’t let them demonize you because of your success.”
Reinstating her commitment to the Hindu American community, Jackson Lee said she will remain an indefatigable ally. She reminisced on her visit with John Lewis to Gandhi Ashram in Sabarmati, adding that she was looking forward to meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi next week, PTI reported.
Dr. Romesh Japra of California, chair of Americans4Hindu, told Indian media that the June 14 event was ”the first-ever summit” held for political engagement. We have done a lot of great work in every field but politically, we are way behind. We feel that Hindu Americans are being discriminated. That is why we thought it is a good idea to bring all the organizations together,” he told ANI.