Are Indian business groups, by virtue of being members of the US-India Business Council (USIBC), inadvertently funding the anti-Democrat campaign in the forthcoming Senate elections in the United States?
Yes, if a US website, which lists out the names of 54 Indian firms, is to be taken seriously. The website www. thinkprogress. org alleges that USIBC is one of the associate arms of the US Chamber of Commerce which utilise membership fees to finance a $75 million “partisan attack advertisement campaign” against a few Democrat candidates contesting the US Senate elections.
The list of Indian firms includes leading Indian conglomerates, software giants and corporate law firms that have active business interest in the US. They have paid either $7,500 or $15,000 as membership fees, the website claims.
Indian firms that are members of USIBC told Business Standard they do not track how the membership fees are used by the council. Email queries sent to the US and Indian spokespersons of USIBC remained unanswered.
Software firms such as Infosys and Wipro, banks like ICICI and State Bank of India, industry conglomerates such as Reliance and Tatas, legal firms Amarchand Mangaldas and Dua Associates are some of the prominent members listed on USIBC website.
According to the website, all annual dues were given directly to the US chamber and the information was culled from publically available “Business Council applications and the Chamber’s own website”.
The alegations, part of a larger election debate over the support of foreign corporations raising campaign funds in US, are a matter of debate in the country. The elections for one third of vacancies in the US Senate are taking place next month.
More From This Section
The names of Indian companies and the US Chambers’ alleged attempt to weaken US President Barack Obama’s decision making powers by opposing some of the Democrat candidates has come at a time when USIBC is working hard for the success of the forthcoming visit of Obama to India.
For the record, USIBC has organised a conference call for its members on October 20 to discuss more about the “Presidential Executive Mission” to India, which it expects to be a “momentous Summit and Mission”.
Also read:
http://thinkprogress.org/2010/10/13/chamber-foreign-funded/media