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Kargil On Their Minds

Arthur J Pais

When Bharatiya Janata Party general secretary M Venkaiah Naidu attended the Telugu convention in Cincinnati recently, he clearly drummed up support for the war efforts in Kargil, and won a few supporters for the BJP.

His adrenaline had begun pumping before he had left India, but he became even more galvanized after joining an anti-Pakistan rally outside the United Nations. Organized by the Friends of BJP on July 2, it had drawn nearly 300 people.

Of course, Naidu did not need any coaxing to attend the protest. And like him, a slew of Indian and American politicians who attended several annual conventions of Indian-American and professional and cultural groups across America, Kargil was not just around the corner -- it was the key theme of their speeches.

Over a dozen organizations, including the Jaina Association in Pennsylvania, Prabasi in the Bay Area, and TANA in Ohio, held their conventions early this month. In all, more than 25,000 people attended the conventions. While the TANA convention attracted nearly 6,000 people, the Jaina convention attracted nearly 7,500 participants. The TANA convention had a slight setback when its keynote speaker, P V Narasimha Rao, informed them early July that he could not attend the convention because of ill-health.

"National conventions usually see two kinds of pitches by keynote and other speakers," said Kanwar Rekhi, president of The Indus Enterprise. "The visitors from India speak about investment opportunities in India. And the Americans extol the achievement of the Indian American community and promise to fight discrimination against immigrants." But this year there was Kargil.

However, his own group, TiE, which though dominated by Indian Americans, represents entrepreneurs from the subcontinent, has eschewed politics. "In our individual capacity, we know exactly where we stand," Rekhi had said on the eve of TiE's national convention in May in San Jose. "But TiE avoids politics of the subcontinent."

Acharya Chandramaji, the only female Jain acharya, is not given to talking about politics but at the Jaina Convention held in King of Prussia, near Philadelphia, she asserted:

"The brave soldiers who are fighting in Kargil deserve our whole-hearted support."

The Acharya, who heads Veerayatan, a social-religious institution with base in Bihar, quoted Jain scriptures to support the war efforts.

"He is the real war criminal who imposes war on others," she declared, "but not the one who forgets himself defending his beloved motherland."

While Gujarat Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel, who attended several Gujarati community gatherings and the convention of Saurashtra Patels talked about the investment climate in Gujarat, participants at the convention wanted to know from them if it was going to be a prolonged war.

"On one hand, our people wanted to know what could happen because they are genuinely concerned for India," says Mani M Mannan of the Tamil Sangam. "They are also worried about their friends and folks at home. And they want to know -- more than ever if their investment is going to be worth something."

For many American politicians -- including Gary Ackerman and Frank Pallone, Jr, two of India's most enthusiastic supporters in Washington -- who attended the conventions, Kargil provided ready fodder to their speech. Incidentally, there was hardly a Republican Congressman who was able to attend and give the keynote speech at any one of the major conventions early this month. Ackerman represents a New York election district and Pallone is from the neighboring New Jersey.

And they drummed up the same message that they have been drumming up during the past eight weeks. Ackerman, while at the national convention of American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, once again demanded that Pakistan and the guerrillas backed by it get out of the Indian territory and that Islamabad be labeled a terrorist country.

"It is important these statements and calls are made as often as possible," said an Indian lobbyist in Washington "For they are meant to galvanize the community, and get the members of many organizations to write to their representatives for supporting the Indian stand."

"The Indian battles in Washington are not fought by just a few Congressmen and lobbyists," he added. "Look how effective the Jewish lobbying is."

Congressman Pallone addressing the Jains in King of Prussia said: "I always believed that Pakistan was the one who initiated the attack, and now the US government has also come to this conclusion. This is a tremendous diplomatic victory for India."

Sherrod Brown, another strong supporter of India, endeared himself to the Telugus when he greeted them with a few Telugu words. The Ohio Democrat said Pakistan was wrong in instigating trouble in the Kashmir region and India was absolutely right to defend its territorial integrity.

The Kargil war also raised another concern.

Several convention leaders wanted it to be profiled high, and a pitch be made for donations. Though the AIA made an explicit and spirited request for donations, several convention organizers fought the idea, as one leader said, "with a very heavy heart."

"We had already asked our members to shell out hundreds of dollars to attend these conventions," said the president of one association who asked for anonymity. "We did not want -- as the organizers of the convention - to ask for donations for Kargil. We have already asked a lot from them.

"We knew, however, that many of us have sent on our own or would be sending money for various efforts associated with Kargil."

Meanwhile, the Federation of Indian Association has requested Indian Americans to send the Kargil donations to the following address.

Jawan Shaheed Fund
C/O Federation of Indian Associations
1398 Edinburgh Durch Neck Road
West Windsor, NJ 08550.

Next story: Robin Sharma To Give Keynote Address at NetIP Convention

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