NEW DELHI (TIP): India has welcomed the confirmation of U.S. Ambassador-designate Eric Garcetti by the Senate saying that New Delhi looks forward to work with him to advance bilateral relations. The statement from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) came as past comments from Mr. Garcetti on the human rights record of India became viral over the past week which drew criticism from multiple stakeholders, including the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP).

“Let me emphasize, we welcome the confirmation of Mr. Eric Garcetti as the Ambassador to India. We look forward to working with him to take forward our multifaceted bilateral relation,” said MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi in response to a question from The Hindu. Mr. Garcetti’s confirmation had been stuck at the legislative level in the U.S. where he faced multiple hurdles, including allegations of sexual harassment by his chief of staff Rick Jacobs.

Mr. Garcetti’s confirmation was expected since July 2021 when President Joe Biden nominated him to be the U.S. Ambassador to India. Further revelations on Mr. Garcetti came in a right-wing news portal Daily Caller that alleged he had close links with Chinese officials. At the same time, a 2021 video showing him speak on India’s Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) also went viral. In the video Mr. Garcetti is shown arguing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that he will take up human rights issues in India during his tenure and said, “These will not just be afterthoughts for me…I have fought for human rights on four different continents and will be a core part of what I will pursue with my Indian counterpart.” Responding to the video, VHP’s national spokesperson Vinod Bansal told The Hindu that Mr. Garcetti’s remarks on the CAA and the human rights scenario in India showed “his lack of understanding” of the Indian scenario.

“We welcome his confirmation but his comments on the largest democracy in the world shows that he is not fully informed about the Indian scenario. It will be better if he forms a better understanding of the issues relevant to India before taking up the post of the U.S. Ambassador here,” said Mr. Bansal alleging that there had been a spike in “anti-India “propaganda” in the U.S.

Mr. Bagchi, however, clarified that Mr. Garcetti’s comments on CAA did not originate recently and said, “Our position on many of these issues are well known.”

(Source: The Hindu)