It’s a choice to make between their traditional loyalty towards the Democrats and their newfound love for the Republicans under President Trump, whose personal chemistry with PM Modi has split the Indian American vote bank this time.
The poll race for the post of the President of the United States has picked up pace, with a clear battle on cards between President Donald Trump of the Republican Party and Joe Biden, former Vice-President and the strongest Democrat in the fray. India is watching the race with great interest as its strategic interests are at stake, particularly the strong expectations the current Narendra Modi government has from President Trump’s re-election to the White House.
But even more interesting is the dilemma of the strong Indian American community, whose vote matters a lot in many states. It’s a battle of choice to make between their traditional political loyalty towards the Democrats and the newfound love for Republicans under President Trump, whose personal chemistry with PM Modi has split the Indian American vote bank this time. At times it is like India not being able to choose between traditional partner Russia and new friend America. Even many Democrat loyalists are looking towards Trump’s new “straight and unbiased tilt towards India as a factor to switch loyalties”.
Trump’s attendance of the Howdy, Modi! event and his historic trip to India last month and his support of India in every way possible have transformed the political scenario of US elections. And even Trump knows the significance of India and Indian Americans and is talking about his India visit in his political meetings, with posters of his Taj Mahal visit in background.
As says Dr Bharat Bharai, a Chicago-based doctor and a strong Modi supporter: “We’re caught in a dilemma as the young voters are still with the Democrats as they have the liberal bent and are not so closely connected with India and Indian issues…these are mostly second or third generation voters. But my generation of old age voters, who have been traditional Democrat supporters are now looking to President Trump due to the new bonhomie between him and PM Modi.”
Dr Bharai, who successfully thwarted Pakistan propaganda against India and PM Modi at the UNGA last September and had also organised the Modi event in New York earlier in 2014, admits: “Trump is on our minds as he’s handled Pakistan well and has been decisive and clear about his intentions towards India. For us first-generation businessmen and entrepreneurs, he’s pro-business and someone planning to make inroads into India to seek new markets, eventually connecting the two democracies strongly.”
It is to be seen which way the strong Indian American community especially in states such as California, Virginia, New York, Chicago, Texas, Illinois and New Jersey vote in 2020.
Dr Sampat Shivangi, a physician and an influential Indian-American community leader, whose support for Republicans is open and frank, echoes Dr Bharai. Shivangi told The Sunday Guardian: “President Trump’s successful India visit has changed the traditional Indian American vote scenario… I am confident that the President Trump will get more than 60% of Indian American voters. As matter of fact we have exclusive (eight Indian Americans) meetings with President Trump on this Sunday, 8 March, 2020 at Florida’s Mar-a-Lago for a brunch at his residence.”
Tables have turned now and Trump is campaigning hard to win more than a million Indian American votes which Democrats had taken for granted, says the Mississippi-based physician.
But for someone like California-based techie Ajay Bhutoria, a strong Biden supporter and a philanthropist, “it’s not as simple as said for Trump”.
Bhutoria had hosted Biden’s wife, Dr Jill Biden for a fund-raiser for Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential election campaign and claims there are many on the way from Indian Americans.
“Joe Biden is the only Democratic candidate who beats Donald Trump by double digits. Bidens would give the Democrats their strongest chance in an election against President Trump. Potential swing voters in the general election see Biden as relatively close to their own position but view Bernie Sanders as further to the left…Vice President (Biden) has demonstrated leadership and statesmanship, and has the moral character and leadership that voters love and respect,” Bhutoria told this newspaper.
The California-techie claimed that “more than 80% Indian-Americans have traditionally voted for Democrats and majority of Indian Americans support Biden for President. Indian Americans know Biden will beat Trump and build on the Obama-Biden Administration policies related to Obamacare, supporting small businesses, education, immigration reforms, climate change efforts and taxes. Biden will build strong people to people, businesses to business and industry to industry bilateral relationships with India and the South Asian region as a whole as he uses his experience in foreign policy.”
However, many feel that Bernie Sanders, who is second to Biden in the race for Democratic Presidential nomination, may spoil the party’s prospects when it comes to addressing Indian American interests. He (Bernie) is seen as a Left leaning, Pakistan-supporter, who has been needling India unwarrantedly, including questioning the relevance of President Trump’s India visit. His political speeches prepared mostly by his Pakistani American deputy campaign manager have not gone well with the Indian American community. It has annoyed and alienated many traditional Indian American voters, a point even many Democrats accept without argument. They are hoping that Biden will be able to bridge that gap, widening the split among the Indian American vote bank.
Bhutoria recalls the era of Obama-Biden administration by saying, “Joe Biden has decades of foreign policy experience and Obama-Biden built a strong foundation of stronger relations with South Asian countries, particularly India. In 2014, the Obama-Biden Administration and Indian PM Narendra Modi set the goal of increasing bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2020. Obama-Biden Administration started the first Diwali celebration in the White House along with celebrations with Jain, Sikhs and Muslim events and released a Diwali stamp. These are unforgettable moments. Biden becoming US President would ensure the continuity of the upward momentum in the relationship between the two democracies.”
With Sanders and Elizabeth Warren no more a worry for Indian Americans, both businessman Trump and immigration-savvy Biden bode well for India.
But what the Democrats should not let go of their minds is the new wave of nationalism peaking in India and the US, with Trump and Modi in leadership chairs. Indian Americans are closely watching and are very much part of this changing global dynamics, where a lot of anti-India feelings expressed by not only Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, now out of the Democrats’ Presidential race, but also from their own community people on the issue of Kashmir (Article 370) and now Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) to corner India and question its democratic status have not gone down well.
“This may be decisive in the final vote,” feel Dr Shivangi. He says: “Traditionally Indian Americans are of democratic orientation because of Nehurvian socialistic thinking and Soviet influences in earlier years of Independence of India. So this philosophy continues now, but things are changing dramatically as bias against India has been growing among the Democrats especially with Senator Sanders, who is very critical of India, especially on CAA and on Article 370 (Kashmir). Besides criticising President Trump’s visit to India for not raising CAA and the recent violence in Delhi, Senator Sanders was also critical on the defence deal with India. In this, one can trace the ties of Congressman Ro Khanna (Indian American), who happens to be the deputy chair of the Sanders campaign. A Democrat, along with other Democrats, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal has introduced a bill in the US Congress censuring India with tacit support of two other Congressmen Ami Bera and Raja Krishnamurthy. Indian Americans are upset and angry to see the anti India feelings of the Democratic Party as this will be true if Joe Biden is the ultimate candidate of the party as he is surrounded by a similar group of people.”
Will the Democrats be able to arrest this undercurrent largely going unnoticed? With the actual demographic effect of the Modi-Trump meeting in New Delhi yet not calculated beyond symbolism, the Indian American community leaders and top names in business and investors are throwing fund raisers in both political camps to sell India the best to the next President of United States. Only time will tell whose money in these fund-raisers will reap the right dividend for India!