US-India ties at lowest in 30 years, says Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna
Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna has stated that the United States-India relationship is at its lowest point in three decades, attributing the decline to what he called the 'utterly destructive policies' of US President Donald Trump.
Speaking at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum Leadership Summit in Washington on Monday, Mr. Khanna, a Democrat from California, claimed that during a recent visit to China, India's Ambassador there told him that a generation of trust had been lost due to Mr. Trump's policies.
'Now, you know I'm not one to mince words. I sort of tell things as they are. The U.S.-India relationship has been at its lowest point in the last 30 years,' Mr. Khanna said.
'Trump's policies of getting into a war with Iran have been utterly destructive. It has been utterly destructive to the prices of gas in India. Talk to [External Affairs Minister] Jaishankar if you don't believe me,' the California Democrat added.
Mr. Khanna, who is considered a presumptive candidate for the 2028 presidential election, also criticised Mr. Trump's approach to immigration and foreign policy. He said the President's rhetoric on immigrants and his policies on student visas were harming America's ability to attract talent, noting that 38% of top artificial intelligence researchers are of Chinese origin and 72% have foreign degrees.
'This is a President who doesn't understand that we need to be recruiting talent, not turning talent away,' Mr. Khanna said.
He further accused Mr. Trump of abandoning America's moral vision in foreign policy, citing threats against Iran and Cuba and the suggestion to conquer Greenland. 'Who cares about the partnerships of this and that when this President is literally destroying America's leadership in the entire world?' he asked.
Mr. Khanna described Mr. Trump as a 'lame duck' and expressed confidence that the Democratic Party would win the upcoming mid-term elections and the 2028 presidential election decisively.
