The Indian-American community in the US has welcomed the re-election of President George W Bush to the White House, with several community leaders expressing the hope that it will give a fillip to the growing strategic partnership between the two countries.
Hoping that the re-election of Bush would strengthen relations between India and the US in the fields of trade and defence, they urged Bush to fulfil his promise of visiting India in the first year of his second term.
President of the India-America Chamber of Commerce Rajiv Khanna said with Bush's re-election, the "outdated protectionist prejudices against outsourcing" will be "permanently consigned to the dustbin of history."
Noting that former President Bill Clinton had laid the foundation of "excellent relations" between India and the United States, he told PTI, "President Bush has done a remarkable job of building on that foundation and has taken the relationship between the two countries to new heights."
Expressing the hope that Bush's re-election would lead to further strengthening of relations between the two countries in various spheres, including trade and defence, president of the Indian National Congress Surinder Malhotra said it will also give a fillip to the growing "strategic partnership."
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The debate over outsourcing, Malhotra said, will become a thing of the past as mutually-beneficial relations take center stage.
Chairman of the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin Thomas Abraham expressed the view that Indian-Americans welcome the re-election with the confidence that the two countries will be able to work together in fighting terrorism, which is a priority for both the nations even as they expand cooperation in trade, defence and other fields.
"It is great victory for President Bush and for all of us, especially Indian-Americans, who believe in the cause of freedom, democracy, war against global terrorism and a plan for a safer world," vice-chairman, Indian American Republican Council, and senior executive vice-president of the Indian American Forum for Political Education Sampat S Shivangi said on Wednesday.
"I feel President Bush will be good for India and Indian-Americans on many issues that concern India-US relations," he said.
President Bush's promised visit to India in the first year of his second term will be a great boost to the US-India relations, he added.
Hoping that there will be acceleration of Indo-US relations, especially in the field of commerce and the war against terrorism, former president of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin Navin Shah said, "This will be a new beginning of the real partnership between the two democracies."
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