Author: Ramesh Chandran
Publication: The Times
of India
Date: November 16, 2000
As widely anticipated,
Congressman Ed Royce was appointed as the Republican co-chairman of the
influential Congressional Caucus for India on Tuesday night. He replaces
James Greenwood.Fortynine-year-old Royce, reputed for his fortitude and
energy on the floor, is seen by the Indian-American community as a splendid
choice owing to his bipartisanship in a deeply-riven US Congress, where
the Republicans hold a wispy majority over the Democrats.
The India Caucus, which
has grown by leaps and bounds in the past two years, primarily due to the
resourcefulness and zestful leadership of the Democratic Co-Chairman Gary
Ackerman, is today 124-member strong -- the largest of its kind in the
Congress. Certainly not every member of this formidable phalanx of
American lawmakers have been as active as a Royce or an Ackerman, a Pallone
or a McDermott. A substantial chunk of them have begun to grasp the
nuances of the complexities of Indo-US relationship only recently -- their
new-found interest partially fuelled by the burgeoning political clout
and cheque-writing abilities of the Indian-American community.
Royce, who succeeded
the low-key Greenwood for a two-year term at the helm of the Caucus, is
widely expected to play a role akin to Gary Ackerman. As for Ackerman,
he will be replaced by fellow Democrat -- another seasoned India hand --
Jim McDermott from Seattle.
In a Republican-controlled
House, Royce's stainless credentials and his expertise on India is bound
to come in handy. In his first comments after being appointed the
Caucus Co-Chair, Royce told The Times of India: ``I will focus on a number
of tasks -- to accelerate the economic partnership between India and the
US, to ensure a better grasp of issues which face both our countries such
as terrorism and to see there is a greater representation of the Republicans
in the Caucus''.
At present, the Caucus
seems to have a disproportionate number of Democrats compared to those
from the GOP. If Royce has his way -- and when the mess in Florida
is sorted out and should George W Bush move into the White House -- this
would take added urgency. As an eight-year veteran of the Congress,
the Representative from Fullerton District in California has a sound grasp
of the undertow of the Indian-American community politics which can baffle
an average American. In his district, areas such as Cerritos and
Artesia are full of the vivid sights and sounds transported from India,
thanks to the presence of a large ethnic Indian population.
As a senior member of
the powerful House International Relations Committee, Royce has been an
incisive voice on many Congressional hearings --- some of which have been
acutely disconcerting for India -- notably on human rights. When
the HIRC appoints a new chairman, be it Doug Bereuter or even other aspirants
such as Henry Hyde or Jim Leach, Royce is expected to play a vigorous role.
For his part, McDermott is not a member of the HIRC. However, Rouce,
with his unwavering interest in human rights issues, could drag India into
congressional focus over issues such as Christian bashing. New Delhi
need expect no softball treatment from the diminutive Congressman.
When there was much hand-wringing
over extracting a date from the Republican Speaker, Dennis Hastert, for
Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's address to the joint session of the
US Congress, those who closely observed the rapidly unfolding behind-the-scenes
events saw the nimble effectives of the Congressman and his deftness in
handling "points of influence" to the Speaker.
In October, at a meeting
with this correspondent in Los Angeles, Congressman Royce showed his grasp
of national security and strategic affairs not only in the Indo-Pak context
but also a commendable knowledge of the main players in Afghanistan.
The Indian-Americans
in California who have worked closely with Royce recall that he was present
throughout President Clinton's itinerary in India as well as his brief
stopover in Pakistan. So what do the California- based Indian-Americans
think of Royce's tenure as a Congressman as well as his new appointment
as Co-Chair of the Caucus?
Anna Prasad, a delegate
to the Republican convention in Philadelphia and a prominent Indian-American
activist in Los Angeles who has known the Congressman over the years, sounds
exceptionally enthused by the appointment. She says those who know
Royce well in the West Coast will now see how effective he can be and how
popular he has been with the community. In a state that is a Democratic
stronghold, Royce is a Republican who has easily managed to hold his own
-- a fact commented upon by Nadadur Varadhan, an international tax consultant
and founder- chairman of a new Los Angeles-based organisation, Indian-
American Vision Foundation. A prominent fund-raiser for the Democrats,
Varadhan describes Royce as a ``man of integrity'' with "no personal agendas"
who will prove a "committed lawmaker" who will steadfastly strive to improve
and broaden the scope of Indo-US bilateral partnership.
