A rare bipartisan relationship with India continuing

8220;We have overcome the earlier period of estrangement and moved to engagement. Our private sectors,our businesses,universities and civil societies have been at the fore front of this shift,8221; he said.

Noting that bilateral trade doubling in last five years,more than 100,000 Indians are studying in the US,and most of all the tremendous dynamism now propelling the Indian economy

forward; the growth of India is unfolding in the context of

democracy of breathtaking scale,he said.

8220;A very rare bipartisanship has emerged that deeper ties with India are indisputably in our national interest,8221; Negroponte said in his remarks on US-India Strategic partnership at an event organised here by the US India Business Council USIBC and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry to felicitate a delegation of Indian members of Parliamentarians.

8220;President Clinton8217;s outreach to India was built upon very substantially by President George W Bush as you all know.

And now President Obama has carried the relationship forward noting that India is an indispensable partner for the US.

The President plans to visit India for the first time later this year and I promise you that presidential visits are occasions for significant further steps,8221; Negroponte said.

The first ministerial level Indo-US strategic dialogue took place at the beginning of this month and the breadth of these talks between the many ministries of the government indicates the scope of their ambitions.

8220;In this context,I would like to come back to the matter of grand strategy and offer some brief personal reflection on national security because I believe this is crucial in a changing area where we are poised well to do even more together,8221; he said.

Negroponte,who visited India in the immediate aftermath of the Mumbai terrorist attack in his capacity as the Deputy Secretary of State,said even at that time of grief,he was struck by the positive spirit of everyone he met.

8220;What has been heartening to see,especially from the perspective of the US-India relationship is the continued deepening of our countries law enforcement and counter terror co-operation,8221; he said,adding that his meetings in India in December 2008 were focused on this cooperation.

8220;I understand that the delegation met with the FBI this week,and I learnt that Indian Railways delegation was in Washington some months back for joint exercise with our Amtrak and Washington metro teams8221; Negroponte said.

The former Bush Administration official welcomed the plan of the USIBC plans to take a homeland security delegation to India later this year.