Important for next US president to see India as crucial partner: Democratic leader Neil Makhija

Makhija, who is currently serving as the Montgomery County Commissioner and Chair of the Board of Elections, is the first Indian American Commissioner elected in the history of Pennsylvania. According to some Democrats, the young leader could be in Kamala Harris’ cabinet if she wins the polls.

On India-US relationship

“When you think about the competition the US has been having with China, when you think about the actions that Russia is taking which are at odds with the interests of the US and its allies, India is really the most important country for the US to continue to build the relationship in terms of its sheer size, economic activities,” Makhija said.

This comes just days after the United States put 19 private firms from India and two Indian nationals on a list of “nearly 400 entities and individuals” from several countries that will face sanctions for their alleged role in aiding Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine. India’s bilateral relationship with the US is already facing a crisis over allegations of an Indian national’s role in a plot to assassinate Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil.

In the PTI interview, Makhija said: “When it comes to global priorities like our defence, tackling global issues like climate change. The US and India can lead the way if they work together. So we need a president who recognises that and Kamala Harris is that person.”

On H1B visas for Indians

The Harvard graduate also held the Republican Party responsible for not increasing the cap on H1B visas for Indians.

“Kamala Harris was the sponsor of a bill to fix that issue of H1B backlog when she was the senator. The problem was that the Republicans did not support it and they used to say that they were in favour of legal immigration,” he told PTI.

“But now it is clear that they do not want any immigration and they do not support immigration reform. They do not support any of the bills that would give people who live here, work here and pay taxes a real pathway to citizenship,” Makhija added.

Criticism against Trump’s policies

Makhija also came down heavily on former US president Donald Trump for his immigration policy, which stands as a matter of concern for immigrant communities, including Indian-Americans, in the US.

Immigration is a big issue in the upcoming November 5 election, and Trump and Harris are in a close race.

“You can see that he (Trump) is blaming all of the country’s problems on immigrants and it is not real, it is not realistic, it is simply aimed at inflaming tensions and driving divisions among people who live here in the US,” he said.

Calling Trump a threat to democracy, Makhija told PTI: “He is engaging in the same kind of behaviour we have seen in some of the darkest moments in world history where leaders have scapegoated those individuals and communities that do not even have the right to vote.”

“Unfortunately history does repeat itself. Hopefully, the people of our country recognise what happened in the past and we avoid a similar fate in the future,” he added.

In his election speeches, Trump has continued to call immigrants who commit violent crimes as “monsters” and “vile animals.” He has also blamed Harris and President Joe Biden for allowing more illegal immigrants into the country, according to a report in The Indian Express.

Moreover, during a rally in New Hampshire in December 2023, he claimed that undocumented immigrants in the US are “poisoning the blood” of the country, according to the report. Trump has promised a radical shift to tighten Washington’s immigration policy and has vowed to conduct the “largest deportation operation in American history” if he is reelected.

The Republican candidate has even resolved to end birthright citizenship for the children of immigrants living in the US illegally, triggering concerns among various diaspora communities including from Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, according to PTI.

‘Kamala Harris represents inclusive future’

As the US inches closer to the November 5 elections, Makhija, in support of Harris, said: “On the one hand, we have a candidate who is protecting democracy and fundamental freedoms. Then we have a candidate who represents the past and wants to turn back the clock to a time before anyone from our community was here in the US. Who wants to turn back the clock on fundamental rights?”

Calling the US an “idea”, he said: “Their (Trump camp’s) belief is that the country is supposed to be a specific demographic region. We think America is an idea, we think America is an idea that anyone can succeed no matter who you are,” Makhija said.

“This is the decision that we are making which is — do we have a country which is pluralistic, that is welcoming, that is inclusive or do we think it should be exclusive and really meant to serve a particular demography?” he questioned.

“I think Kamala Harris represents the future that is more inclusive, that will be welcoming and lives up to the ideals that our country truly was founded on,” Makhija asserted in the interview.

– with PTI inputs