What does Vivek Ramaswamy's run for US Prez polls augur for India and Non-Resident Indians? : M Chuba Ao, BJP Natl Vice President

 Guest Column: By Invitation

Vivek Ramaswamy in US Prez polls mirrors a dramatic milestone for NRIs

All elections across the globe are most often crucial and very often they throw up surprises. In 2021, Americans sprang a surprise and Donald Trump was denied the second term.

It may be prudent to point out that on January 6, 2021, Trump has allegedly urged his supporters to march to the U.S. Capitol, which many of them then attacked, resulting in multiple deaths. This had interrupted the vote count.

Of course, Trump is the only American president to have been impeached twice and was acquitted by the Senate in February 2020 on a different issue. But for Republicans he is back in the reckoning.

Now, the ensuing elections could be again between Trump (77) and Joe Biden (80). But there is a new entrant. Things are premature but 'Indian origin' Vivek Ramaswamy has thrown himself into the ring. !985-born, a mere 38-year-old Ramaswamy is the youngest Republican presidential candidate ever.

 

Vivek Ramaswamy

He is now trying to present himself as a merchant of the 'new American dream'. Well, we all have got it right ! "....I am announcing my run for the President of the United States," he said in a prime time TV show. Ramaswamy also said, "This is just not a political campaign. This is a cultural movement to create a new American Dream for the next generation". 

What does this episode augur for India and Non-Resident Indians? 

We must sit back and take note that Ramaswamy's parents immigrated from Palakkad district in Kerala to America in the early 1970s. 

In the United Kingdom, we have Rishi Sunak, another Indian origin Hindu leader, who is stewarding the erstwhile nerve centre of global power.

Of course we are in an unusual phase when Indians and Indian media would be debating the US presidential election. This time the discussions are no longer just guided by geopolitical and economic influence that Capitol Hill exerts. 

In 2021 presidential polls in the US, there are reasons to believe that the nomination of Kamala Harris, whose mother is a migrant Indian, as the Democrats' vice president had possibly sway substantial votes of Asian Americans against Republican President Donald Trump.

Many people doubted such theories but the reality is Trump lost. Hence, it will be prudent to talk a little about the power of American Indians. One must appreciate the fact that Yoga and Diwali - the festival of Light and Sound - are now two powerful symbols of India's Soft Power. The Diwali Day Bill introduced by New York Congresswoman Grace Meng has already hit headlines.Congressman Jim Himes has also agreed to support the draft law. 

The world is changing fast and in this changing scenario a lot is being counted about Indian diaspora.

Here the 'BJP element' in me should get vocal as we all party karyakartas admire the fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji has made a big difference in giving a neo-confidence to the NRI power.

Indians now matter in India and perhaps as much also in countries such as Australia and the US.

Our detractors and political rivals may not like to appreciate it but the fact of the matter is there is a global recognition and hence we see 'craze' for Yoga across the globe.

In all these, I agree with those who propound the theory that diplomacy is no longer about pushing a single-agenda item. There is a lot of importance about persuasive diplomacy and this has made we Indians take pride wherever we are.

But the fact of life is that some Indian and for that matter Hindu fests have attracted global attention. 

I will discard the argument that this has happened because Indians are now in large numbers in countries like the US, and can influence the outcome in an election. Well, the growing numbers of Indian diaspora and that also in influential positions do matter. But it is also a fact that in western countries and also in the Gulf these days, people see merits in some of these festivals and practices.

The festival of light and sound which essentially celebrates the victory of Good over Evil and Knowledge over Ignorance has got acceptance in the US, across Europe, Canada, African nations and even Malaysia.

In many countries, Diwali is now seen as a festival of share and care when people visit orphan houses and old age homes.

The New India as Prime Minister Modi ji envisions will actually remain incomplete without full usage of the potentials of the NRI prowess. In times to come Vivek Ramaswamy will not be a mere exception.

We will see many more Indians across streams including political power politics ruling the roost.

ends  

(Views are personal)

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