Ami Bera, the only Indian-American Congressman in the US House of Representatives, has said that the newly-constituted 'American Sikh Congressional Caucus' will deal only with domestic civil rights issue.
Bera's revised statement, three days after he publicly announced to join the Caucus, is considered to allay concerns of the Indian Government that the newly-made Caucus in the United States carries some individuals and groups, who in the past had indulged in anti-India activities including the separatist Khalistan movement.
"I'm a proud member of the Congressional Caucus on India, and any matters involving India, or US-India relations should and will be handled by that group. The American Sikh Caucus' work will deal with domestic civil rights issues," Bera said in a revised statement yesterday.
The announcement for the formation of the Caucus was made on April 24 at the Capitol Hill in the office of the Congresswoman Judy Chu.
She is the Co-Chair of Caucus, along with Congressman David Valadao. So far, more than 30 Congressmen have joined the Caucus.
Chu too had said at the time of the announcement that this would focus on domestic issues, despite which there remains concerns among some section of the Indian-American community and also the Indian Government, which had expressed its concerns to the lawmakers about the presence of pro-Khalistan elements among the supporters of the group.
Bera's statement is seen as a move by the lawmakers to address those concerns.
