With just days to go until the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Indian-origin Democratic leader Neil Makhija emphasized in an interview with PTI that it is crucial for the next president to view India as a key partner due to its “sheer size and economic activities.”

A strong supporter of Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, Makhija highlighted the significance of the India-U.S. partnership, calling it “the most important engagement globally,” and expressed confidence that this cooperation would strengthen further if Harris were elected president.

Currently serving as Montgomery County Commissioner and Chair of the Board of Elections, Makhija is the first Indian American to be elected as Commissioner in Pennsylvania’s history. Some Democrats believe this young leader could be part of Kamala Harris’s cabinet if she wins the election.

On India-US ties

“When you think about the competition the U.S. has been having with China, when you think about the actions that Russia is taking which are at odds with the interests of the U.S. and its allies, India is really the most important country for the U.S. to continue to build the relationship in terms of its sheer size, economic activities,” Makhija said.

This statement comes just days after the U.S. placed 19 Indian private firms and two Indian nationals on a list of “nearly 400 entities and individuals” from multiple countries, who will face sanctions for allegedly supporting Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine. Tensions in the U.S.-India relationship are also rising amid allegations that an Indian national was involved in a plot to assassinate Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil.

In his interview with PTI, Makhija added, “When it comes to global priorities like our defence, tackling global issues like climate change. The U.S. and India can lead the way if they work together. So we need a president who recognises that and Kamala Harris is that person.”

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On H1B visas for Indians

The Harvard graduate also criticized the Republican Party for failing to raise the cap on H1B visas for Indians.

“Kamala Harris was the sponsor of a bill to fix that issue of H1B backlog when she was the senator. The problem was that the Republicans did not support it and they used to say that they were in favour of legal immigration,” he told PTI.

“But now it is clear that they do not want any immigration and they do not support immigration reform. They do not support any of the bills that would give people who live here, work here and pay taxes a real pathway to citizenship,” Makhija added.

Trump’s policies

Makhija also criticized former U.S. President Donald Trump for his immigration policy, which raises concerns among immigrant communities, including Indian-Americans, in the U.S.

With immigration being a significant issue in the upcoming November 5 election, Trump and Harris are in a tight race.

“You can see that he (Trump) is blaming all of the country’s problems on immigrants and it is not real, it is not realistic, it is simply aimed at inflaming tensions and driving divisions among people who live here in the U.S.,” he said.

Labeling Trump a threat to democracy, Makhija told PTI: “He is engaging in the same kind of behaviour we have seen in some of the darkest moments in world history where leaders have scapegoated those individuals and communities that do not even have the right to vote.”

“Unfortunately history does repeat itself. Hopefully, the people of our country recognise what happened in the past and we avoid a similar fate in the future,” he added.

In his campaign speeches, Trump has continued to refer to immigrants who commit violent crimes as “monsters” and “vile animals.” He has also blamed Harris and President Joe Biden for allowing more illegal immigrants into the country, as reported by The Indian Express.

Moreover, during a rally in New Hampshire in December 2023, he claimed that undocumented immigrants in the U.S. are “poisoning the blood” of the country. Trump has promised a radical shift in Washington’s immigration policy and has vowed to conduct the “largest deportation operation in American history” if he is reelected.

The Republican candidate has even pledged to end birthright citizenship for the children of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally, raising alarms among various diaspora communities, including those from Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan, according to PTI.

‘A candidate who is protecting democracy’: Makhija

As the U.S. approaches the November 5 elections, Makhija voiced his support for Harris, stating: “On the one hand, we have a candidate who is protecting democracy and fundamental freedoms. Then we have a candidate who represents the past and wants to turn back the clock to a time before anyone from our community was here in the U.S. Who wants to turn back the clock on fundamental rights?”

Describing the U.S. as an “idea,” he said: “Their (Trump camp’s) belief is that the country is supposed to be a specific demographic region. We think America is an idea, we think America is an idea that anyone can succeed no matter who you are.”

“This is the decision that we are making which is — do we have a country which is pluralistic, that is welcoming, that is inclusive or do we think it should be exclusive and really meant to serve a particular demography?” he questioned. “I think Kamala Harris represents the future that is more inclusive, that will be welcoming and lives up to the ideals that our country truly was founded on,” Makhija asserted in the interview.

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