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US ready for Indian-American president: Democrat Suhas Subramanyam
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IANS | 17 Apr, 2023
With Indian-Americans Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy tossing their
hats in the ring for the 2024 US Presidential elections, Democrat Suhas
Subramanyam says the US is ready for a president of an Indian descent.
Hailing from Bengaluru, Subramanyam serves the 87th
District of Virginia House of Delegates, and recently announced his bid
for the state's newly-drawn 32nd Senate District.
"Yes", America
is ready for an Indian-American president, Subramanyam told IANS in an
interview, as two of the world's two biggest democracies, India and the
US, gear up to elect their next governments.
The number of
Indian-Americans getting appointed to distinguished positions has grown
rapidly in recent years, with Ramaswamy being the latest entrant in the
presidential race, and the third in the Republican Party after Haley and
former Louisiana Governor Piyush Bobby Jindal's unsuccessful run in
2016.
A resident of Loudoun County, Subramanyam, a technology and
regulatory attorney, became the first Indian-American and South Asian
to ever be elected to the Virginia General Assembly in 2019.
His family's story in America began in 1979, when Suhas's mother immigrated to the US from Bengaluru.
His
parents pursued the American dream and passed along values that Suhas
holds today -- serve your community, succeed with hard work, and empower
those without a voice, according to Subramanyam's website.
"I
still have family in India and understand the value of passing on my
Indian heritage and traditions to my kids," Subramanyam told IANS.
He
served as a White House advisor to President Barack Obama in 2015,
where he led a task force on technology policy that addressed job
creation, IT modernisation, and regulating emerging technology.
Of
over 7,50,000 Asian-Americans who live in Virginia, close to 10 per
cent of the population, Indian-Americans make up the largest ethnic
group.
The vast majority of South Asians live in Northern Virginia, in Loudoun, Prince William, and Fairfax counties.
According
to a 2021 poll conducted by Indian-American Impact, South Asian voters
leaned Democratic, with a vast majority of South Asian registered voters
preferring the Democratic candidate.
"The Indian community in
Virginia is one of the fastest growing voting groups in the
Commonwealth. The issues Indian community members face are no different
than other families in Northern Virginia: giving people a quality
education, addressing rising costs like health costs, grocery bills, and
utility bills, and keeping our community safe," Subramanyam told IANS.
As
a Delegate of Virginia's 87th District, Subramanyam has addressed
rising costs and worked towards giving children a quality education.
"I
increased funding for our schools and made it easier for schools to get
and retain great teachers, and I passed legislation that put money back
in the pockets of all families, including Indian immigrant families,"
Subramanyam, who was named to the Loudoun Times-Mirror's '40 Under 40',
said.
Virginia is also home to a sizable number of Sikhs and
Hindus, who have come into the spotlight with the Khalistani separatists
ramping up their activities under the radar of US authorities.
"I
do not have a stance on this issue," Subramanyam told IANS. "More
generally, my goal is to foster empathy and understanding between people
of all backgrounds and religions, which is especially important given
the diversity in our region," he added.
The Indian government has
been nudging the US government to act against Khalistani separatists,
especially after the emergence of Sikhs for Justice, which has been
behind frequent protests outside Indian missions in the country.
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