The greatest contribution of the India Caucus was in activities other than pushing legislations. The members of the caucus were active in making remarks in the House floor to draw attention to issues of interest to India. They include events such as the military coup in Pakistan, the nuclear tests, cross-border terrorism and democracy. In their remarks, the Congressmen periodically argued the need for better India-US ties. The Caucus members called for Pakistan being named as a terrorist state and repealing the sanctions against India. In 1999, Frank Pallone and Gary Ackerman justified India’s Agni II missile tests on the House Floor, citing the Chinese threat to India’s security.
Another area of activism was letters and correspondence to the Congressional colleagues as well as the Executive, including the President himself. The India Caucus periodically wrote to fellow Congressmen regarding issues of concern to India, which are known as “Dear Colleague letters”. An example is the correspondence after post-9/11 hate crimes. Indians, especially Sikhs faced many such attacks that continued much after 2001, like the beating and stabbing of Saurabh Bhalerao in New Bedford, Massachusetts, in 2003.
In a ‘Dear Colleague” letter, the caucus called for hearings on hate crimes against South Asians. It was partially due to efforts made through such actions that people came to know more about India and American interests in it.
At the beginning of 107th Congress, the India Caucus had a little over 120 members. The Co-chairmen Ed Royceand Jim Mcdermott wrote a ‘dear colleague’, explaining why it is important for the US to have friendly ties with India. They said United States and India “have convergent economic interests. American companies are showing greater interest in India, with good reason. U.S.-India trade had great potential. India was one of the fastest growing emerging
Congressman Jim McDermott
markets in the world, one that presents exciting opportunities for the export of U.S. goods and services. Numerous American companies were playing an important role in India’s booming high technology sector.”
Soon, membership in the Caucus increased.
In February 28, 2001, a letter sent to President George W Bush by the Council of Khalistan made a series of allegations about political prisoners in India. The Caucus sent a ‘dear colleague’ letter, stating that State Department’s Country Report on Human Rights for India had said there were no reports of political prisoners in India. The Caucus said that contrary to the allegations, Sikhs were not being held in detention illegally in India. The Caucus made it clear that those held by the government were individuals facing charges of crimes such as murder, kidnapping and terror bombing.
Congressional travel to India has also increased manifold after the creation of Caucus. For example, McDermott visited India 20 times. During these travels he tried to expand trade ties with India, especially in the high-tech areas and raise awareness about HIV/AIDS in India. The first hand experience of Congressmen helped understand India’s stance against terrorism as also its support to the US-led War on terror. Crowley was on an India visit around the time the Parliament was attacked on December 13, 2001. The congressmen favored military-to-military relations between the two countries.
South Asian America 