Indian-American leaders applaud PM Modi for inclusive growth in India

Washington: Leaders from various Indian-American communities have applauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his commitment to “inclusive growth” in India.

At the half-day Global Equity Alliance Summit, hosted at Washington Adventist University on Friday, the leaders said the minority communities in India has remained safe and secure under Modi’s governance.

The summit, held in association with the Indian Minorities Foundation and Chandigarh University, also saw the launch of the Association of American Indian Minorities. The initiative was launched against the backdrop of a series of attacks on Hindu temples in the US and Canada this year.

In recognition of Modi’s efforts towards inclusive development and minority welfare, the Washington Adventist University and the Association of American Indian Minorities honoured the Prime Minister with the Dr Martin Luther King Jr Global Peace Award for Minority Upliftment.

Chandigarh University Chancellor Satnam Singh Sandhu received the award on Modi’s behalf in his absence.

The association’s goal is to unite minorities in the country and work for the safety and security of Indian American minorities, according to the organisers here.

“Modi’s vision on minority upliftment and development inspired us to form this organisation. This organisation is not going to be limited to the US, this is going to expand. We are going to expand Modi’s vision of minority upliftment, and minority security throughout the world,” said Jasdip Singh Jasse, founder and chairman of the Association of American Indian Minorities.

“We thank Modi for inspiring us through his secular and democratic values that Bharat is spreading throughout the world,” he said.

The goal is to unite all minorities in the US and work for their security, Singh added.

Dr Cheryl Harris Kisunzu, Provost at Washington Adventist University, said, “I see in Prime Minister Modi and I see in Martin Luther King Jr parallels in that they recognise the power of a dream. A dream where all people are esteemed and have value and access. They are mindful in order for those dreams to be realised that a structure, a legal structure is required.” Elisha B Pulivarti, Chief Executive Officer at US India SME Council, said Modi is doing a lot of things for Christians as well as other minorities.

“Today (under Prime Minister Modi) Christians are safe (in India). We endorse him for his leadership. As a Christian I know a lot of Bishops and work with them in India…We thank him for what he’s doing for the Christian community and other minority communities,” Pulivarti said.

In addition to Singh and Pulvarti, other board members of the organisation are Baljinder Singh, Dr Sukhpal Dhanoa, Pawan Bezwada, Dipak Thakker, Juned Qazi, and Nissim Reuben.

“We are very grateful to our Motherland India, to Prime Minister Modi, and the Indian leadership across the political spectrum for the safety and wellbeing of the Jewish minority in India,” Reuben said.

David Byrd, former National Director of the US Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), said India is the new Switzerland of the world.

“India is the new Switzerland: Strategic neutral, but yet helping other countries solve the problems between themselves,” he said.