S Jaishankar: A high-ranking official from the Biden administration has showered accolades upon S. Jaishankar, the External Affairs Minister, describing him as “incredibly talented’ and ‘architect’ in shaping contemporary India-US relations.
Biden official hails S Jaishankar
Richard Verma, the Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, who holds the highest-ranking position ever achieved by an Indian-American within the US State Department, expressed these sentiments on Saturday during an event at the Indian Embassy. The event aimed to celebrate the richness of Indian culture and the robust India-US relationship.
Verma, the first-ever Indian American to serve as the US Ambassador to India and who previously held that position under the Barack Obama administration, acknowledged, “We would not be in the strong place that we are today, but for the External Affairs Minister’s leadership.”
Jaishankar recently concluded a week-long visit to the United States, during which he delivered a speech at the UN General Assembly, held meetings with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and engaged in various community and think-tank gatherings. Verma, the prominent Biden administration figure, emphasised the influence of Mahatma Gandhi‘s legacy and signified that the India-US bilateral relationship is founded on shared principles and shared values.
Richard Verma on democracy
He said, “Top among those is a commitment to democracy and social justice. (Mahatma) Gandhi would write to President (Franklin D) Roosevelt in 1942 that he had ‘profited greatly by the writings of Thoreau and Emerson’ and some years later, Dr. Martin Luther) King would write, ‘It was Gandhi and (his) emphasis on love and non-violence that I discovered the method for social reform and that Gandhi’s philosophy was the only morally and practically sound method open to oppressed people in their struggle for freedom.”
Verma shared an anecdote about his father, who chose to make the United States his home, highlighting that his path to becoming Deputy Secretary of State is not just an “American story” but also an “Indian story.”
He said, “It was the reason that, 60 years ago, my father chose this country to settle in, arriving, as he likes to remind us, with only $14 (currently Rs 1,164) in his pocket and a bus ticket. The rest, they say, is history. For his kid to go on and serve as the US ambassador to the country of his roots and now serve as Deputy Secretary of State is the longest of long shots. But it is a very American story and it is a very Indian story too.”
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