Leading Indian-American entrepreneur and activist Swadesh Chatterjee in
his book 'Building Bridges: How Indian-Americans Brought the United
States and India Closer Together', provides a first-hand account of the
involvement of the influential community in getting the deal through
the US Congress.
"The Indian government hired high-powered and high-priced lobbyists to press their case, but it was really the Indian-American community that took the lead in the campaign for civil nuclear agreement," writes Chatterjee.
The book hit the stores in US this week while its Indian edition is expected to be released later this year.
"Swadesh, you are wasting your time," the then powerful Congressman, Gary Ackerman, a leading lawmaker of the House Caucus on India and Indian Americans told him, when he went and met him and sought his support.
"This deal is dead on arrival," Ackerman told Chatterjee, according to the book.
"There were few takers for the bill," Chatterjee said.
"But we were determined to get the bill through the Congress. This we strongly felt was in the best interest of both India and the US. We believed that this was the golden opportunity for the two countries to come together,"
Chatterjee added.
Chatterjee, who had received the prestigious 'Padma Bhushan' award in 2001 for his role in lifting of American sanctions after Indian nuclear tests, was the one who received the first call from the then Indian Ambassador to US,
Ronen Sen, after the then US President, George W Bush, announced the outline of the civil nuclear deal during his trip to India in March 2006.
"Swadesh, I need your help getting this accord through Congress," Sen was quoted as saying in the book.
"The Indian government hired high-powered and high-priced lobbyists to press their case, but it was really the Indian-American community that took the lead in the campaign for civil nuclear agreement," writes Chatterjee.
The book hit the stores in US this week while its Indian edition is expected to be released later this year.
"Swadesh, you are wasting your time," the then powerful Congressman, Gary Ackerman, a leading lawmaker of the House Caucus on India and Indian Americans told him, when he went and met him and sought his support.
"This deal is dead on arrival," Ackerman told Chatterjee, according to the book.
"There were few takers for the bill," Chatterjee said.
"But we were determined to get the bill through the Congress. This we strongly felt was in the best interest of both India and the US. We believed that this was the golden opportunity for the two countries to come together,"
Chatterjee added.
Chatterjee, who had received the prestigious 'Padma Bhushan' award in 2001 for his role in lifting of American sanctions after Indian nuclear tests, was the one who received the first call from the then Indian Ambassador to US,
Ronen Sen, after the then US President, George W Bush, announced the outline of the civil nuclear deal during his trip to India in March 2006.
"Swadesh, I need your help getting this accord through Congress," Sen was quoted as saying in the book.
Source: MP News in Hindi and Chhattisgarh Hindi News
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