The election of Ro Khanna, US Representative from California’s 17th congressional district, in 2018, was supported by some leading Hindu Americans in CA17 district. The trust of Hindu American community on his abilities went far beyond the trust on his principal opponent Ron Cohen in 2018. Ron Cohen couldn’t match the financial strength and community support that Ro Khanna had. Major corporations and wealthy individuals propelled him to victory in 2016 and then again in 2018. According to the East Bay Times, Khanna won with a campaign platform focused on “moving the Democratic Party to a more progressive stance”.
What was that progressive stance? Ro Khanna served on the board of Planned Parenthood Mar Monte between 2003 and 2012. Planned Parenthood is clearly not a pro life organisation. They run 30 centres in mid California and Nevada. This organisation supports abortion and other allied health services to women. Most Hindus, Catholics, Christians and Jews are all pro life. Especially in Hinduism and Buddhism, all life is sacred. The same values are shared by Catholics and Christians. Pro life is the biggest moral platform for most spiritual and ethical citizens across the American society. Ro is currently a member of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (Capac), most of whose members come with conservative values aligned to their faith. Under Ro Khanna, no Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) ever got a fair representation in the US Congress over pay equality, human rights and justice.
Ro Khanna received support from Facebook, Google, Yahoo and some other media giants, who are known to deplatformize conservatives and suffocate the voices of many American citizens. Large corporations supported Ro Khanna to ensure that they were never questioned by ordinary American citizens. In fact, Democratic Party under Bernie Sanders is currently campaigning for higher taxes on large corporations. It remains to be seen if the same corporations that supported Ro Khanna in 2016 and 2018 will support a candidate who proposes higher taxes on them.
The biggest help to Bay Area manufacturing came due to Federal tax incentives and Make in USA policies of the Federal Administration since 2016. Ro Khanna is the First Vice Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), which, among other things, proposes higher taxes on upper middle class and upper class households. And among others, CPC aims to abolish Patriot Act, which has provided security to most Americans since 9/11. Many residents of the Bay Area, who have earned their wealth through their hard work, stand to lose significantly with Ro’s socialistic policies.
Ro Khanna is also a member of Justice Democrats PAC, whose main ideology is to remove all corporate backed candidates. My suggestion to Saikat Chakravarty is to remove Ro Khanna first because he has been the biggest receiver of support from large corporates in the Bay Area. Amongst other things, Justice Democrats PAC wants to abolish National Security Agency (NSA) and increase funding of Planned Parenthood using American taxpayers’ money. They also oppose Executive Order 13780, titled Protecting the nation from Foreign Terrorist entry into the United States. AllOfUs and Brand New Congress PACs have merged with Justice Democrats to form a very powerful PAC. One of the stated goals of this PAC is to introduce a left wing populist movement to influence future and current Democrats. Moveon.org is also affiliated with this PAC through its fundraiser Zack Exley. Combining capital gains taxes and estate taxes is another goal of this PAC. Pramila Jayapal and Ilhan Omar are other members of this PAC, which is supported by the Bernie Sanders campaign. Ro Khanna has been a member of this PAC since 9 May 2017.
On social grounds, Ro Khanna has abandoned core issues of his principal constituency. He has openly supported religion inspired Pakistani terror against Hindus in Kashmir. Most Hindu Americans have moved away from him and have questioned him on his betrayal.
To summarise, Ro Khanna stands for:
• Higher taxes in CA17.
• Promoting corporate greed.
• Disloyalty to his principal Hindu American supporters.
• Terrorism in the US by opposing laws that protect Americans.
• Socialistic policies of forced division of wealth through repressive taxation policies.
• Uncontrolled immigration.
• Ultra left leaning politics.
To summarise, Ro Khanna stands against:
• Freedom of speech by supporting corporations that deplatformize views of American citizens.
• Rights of Asian American Pacific Islander Community.
• Rights of hard working immigrants from Asia.
It is really up to voters to decide if they really want to elect him as their representative. CA17 Bay Area needs a progressive candidate who values life, family and upholds moral values of community. Also, CA17 needs a representative who allows all immigrants to realise their American dream. We do have a better alternative now in Ritesh Tandon from CA17, who is supported by all residents from that district.