US lawmaker plays safe on Modi

Ami Bera,the only Indian American lawmaker in the US Congress,on Monday played it safe on the question of the US government giving visa to CM Narendra Modi. During a talk at the Aspen Institute India,Bera,to a question if the US was prepared to give Modi a visa,took recourse to a safe answer. The member of the House of Representatives said it is a “State Department issue” and if Modi is desirous of a visa he can apply and the State Department would look into it in the normal process. Born to parents who migrated to the US from Gujarat in 1958-59,Bera is a Democrat from California. He also said that US-India “partnership looks very bright” and the nearly three million strong Indian American community had a role to play in its growth. Bera,a physician by profession,said the impending drawdown in Afghanistan was an “opportunity for India-US partnership”,and India’s role was critical in “helping Afghanistan in its best shot at success”.