New chapter in Indo-US ties on cards? 27 US Congressmen coming to India in February

Two delegations — one with 19 Congressmen and another with eight, from both the Democratic and Republican parties — will visit India later this month.

India and the US have in the past decade or so strengthened their relationship in a number of fields, despite hiccups like the US going to the WTO against India's solar policies, or the time diplomat Devyani Khobragade was body-searched despite having diplomatic immunity. Now, these ties are expected to be strengthened further, with as many as 27 US Congressmen slated to visit India over the course of February — at a rate of almost one for each day of the month!

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Who are visiting?

Indian Ambassador to the US, Navtej Singh, was quoted by PTI as saying about the visit by both Democratic and Republican Congressmen that "such visit is reflective of the efforts on the part of the US to strengthen and build on the bipartisan support that they have in the US Congress for India-US relations."

The largest of these delegations — consisting of 19 US Congressmen — will be in India from February 20 to February 25, and is expected to visit New Delhi and Hyderabad. They are being brought to India by the Aspen Institute, and are expected to meet government officials, politicians, NGO representatives and various other people.

A second delegation of eight US Congressmen, led by US House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, is expected visit India from February 20 to February 23, with stops in New Delhi and Bengaluru — erstwhile Bangalore.

Why are they visiting?

The US lawmakers apparently want to see first-hand how the politics and policies of India function, and also identify areas where the US can engage with the country. Improvement in their mutual ties could also strengthen both nations against China, which itself has ambitions to become a top political and economic superpower that surpasses those that occupy that spot now.

Sarna said of the US Congressmen's visit: "This [the US lawmakers seeing India and its politics and economy for themselves] is increasingly important as the new administration comes into. We are very fortunate that there are two delegations totalling 27 Congressmen are travelling to India this month, which is not a small figure."