Punjab election results rejects Khalistani view: US Congressman

US Congressman Frank Pallone, chairman of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, said the Punjab assembly election had debunked the pro-Khalistani groups and proved that the Sikh and Hindu communities could work together in the state.

Pallone, who is currently visiting India, told a meeting of the Confederation of Indian Industry in Chandigarh, that the notion in the US that Punjabis want a separate state and do not want to be part of India was not reflected in his interaction with the people and legislators of Punjab.

The election results, he felt, would increase the chances of economic investment in the state by American companies as the caucus -- which had 80 members of the US Congress -- would be able to deflect the attack by groups which claimed that India could not be trusted as popular aspirations in Punjab were being throttled.

Pallone said the focus in the US was more on Punjab than on Kashmir, where a separatist movement clearly existed, because the Sikh community was very active in America and had a lot of political clout.

When a member of the audience pointed out that India and the US opposed each other on most issues including Kashmir, NPT and Punjab, he said the Caucus was trying to change the mindset of American bureaucrats which still believed India was a Soviet ally while dealing with the country.

''India is placed very strategically and if the Pentagon starts seeing India as a defence partner, it will change how India is viewed in the US,'' Congressman Pallone added. ''If India has to buy weapons, it can also buy them from the US," he said, adding that there was a need for better defence ties between the two countries.

Pallone, who has advocated India's cause on several occasions, said the Caucus had been established because a number of members felt that India's interests were not properly represented in the US Congress and wanted to tilt the balance in India's favour. ''In addition to this, many of us are business people and want to be in the vanguard of American investment in the Indian economy.''

The Congressman from Monmouth district in eastern New Jersey said his Indian visit had been rewarding as he had been able to gather firsthand experience about India's progress, particularly after liberalisation.

''I have been promoting India for the last five years but had never visited the country. My experience now will further goad me and our Caucus to improve India's image in the US,'' he added.