WASHINGTON − Amarnath Vidyalankar can be seen in a weathered photo from nearly 50 years ago standing outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., a landmark in the nation’s capital where his grandson Ro Khanna is now a four-term House member.
Vidyalankar was an Indian freedom fighter and became part of India’s first parliament. He spent several years in jail with Gandhi, a notable historical figure who fought for his country’s independence from British rule.
To Khanna, D-Calif., seeing the photo of his grandfather at the place where he now works was surreal.
The California lawmaker is leading a bipartisan congressional delegation to India during the summer recess and will be there Aug. 15 to mark India’s Independence Day.
“I think it really hit me now that I’m leading this delegation, going on Indian Independence Day to celebrate a moment that my grandfather sacrificed so much of his life for,” he said.
The relationship between the U.S. and India has never been more important, Khanna says. The country is one of the most important allies for the United States in the 21st century.
India is on the verge of becoming a significant economic force. The country is set to become the third largest economy by 2030, putting the United States in a position to strengthen its relations with the most populous country in the world.
“Aligning with that big of a democracy is critical,” Khanna said.
History coming full circle
Khanna’s grandfather Vidyalankar was part of the Indian Independence Movement for 15 years. He worked closely with Lala Lajpat Rai, an Indian independence movement leader who died during a baton charge from police.
His death further inspired Vidyalankar to dedicate his life to independence, Khanna said.
Vidyalankar’s time as a freedom fighter wasn’t without challenges. He went to jail for two years in the early 1930s for writing articles about India independence. He was jailed again for an additional two years over a decade later with Gandhi for his involvement with Quit India, a movement during World War II that demanded an end to British rule in the country.
Khanna was nine years old when his grandfather passed away, but he remembers spending summers in the country with his grandparents. He would cook Indian desserts with his grandfather and listen to stories Vidyalankar would recite from memory about the Mahabharata, a classic text of Hinduism.
As Khanna got older, he heard more stories about his grandfather from his grandmother. She would often recount Vidyalankar’s time in jail and sometimes had to raise Khanna’s mother and siblings alone because he would be in jail or traveling the country for the independence movement.
Her stories made his grandfather a “larger than life figure” in Khanna’s family.
“Definitely my inspiration for politics for wanting to fight for a more just world,” he said of his grandfather’s influence. He recounted his first run in politics when he launched the first anti-Iraq primary campaign for a California House seat in 2004 − losing by a wide margin.
Khanna’s family remembers Vidyalankar as a kind-hearted, gentle soul who loved sweets and playing chess. He was disciplined, idealistic and principled, waking up early every morning to do yoga, Khanna said.
He supported the creation of IITs, Indian Institutes of Technology. Khanna’s father attended one of the institutes before immigrating to the United States.
“The thought before my parents, or at the time my grandparents, that I would ever get into Congress was so surreal,” he said.
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‘An extraordinary bond’
Khanna is leading the first congressional delegation for India’s Independence Day where a group of bipartisan lawmakers will be visiting the Raj Ghat, a symbolic location where Gandhi is honored, and Red Fort, a monument where the delegation will meet with India’s Prime Minister.
Khanna, who co-chairs the bipartisan Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, is leading the trip with Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., who also co-chairs the caucus.
“To chair the India Caucus and to lead the first delegation on Indian Independence Day at the Red Fort is quite definitely history coming full circle with my grandfather,” Khanna said.
The delegation will meet with business, tech, government and Bollywood leaders to deepen cultural ties and mark the bipartisan delegation’s visit to the country during its Independence Day celebrations.
“That’s an extraordinary bond, especially given our own independence movement,” Khanna said, adding that the symbolism of the bipartisan delegation is going to be perceived in India as “very powerful.”
Khanna plans to partake in cricket diplomacy during the trip, discussing how the Cricket World Cup is set to take place in the United States next July. He hopes someone from India can travel to the United States to watch the matches.
Other topics of discussion during the trip will focus on collaboration on health data standards globally, specifically how medical tests completed in one country could transfer around the world. Khanna said the delegation will also discuss how to best foster markets in India for American products to increase exports and turn India into a hub alternative to China.
Khanna, who is a senior member on the House Armed Services Committee and serves on the House Select Committee on China, will also discuss the strategic and defense relationships between the two countries.
Why are U.S.-India relations important?
Khanna said the relations between the U.S. and India are important in part because of India’s large economic market.
The U.S. has an opportunity to establish a relationship that builds a trade surplus where the U.S. can sell products, unlike in China where production has moved, he said.
“(In) India, you can have a balanced economic relationship, which is actually providing economic opportunity to create jobs in America,” Khanna said.
Additionally, Khanna said it is important to ensure China doesn’t have a footprint that threatens American preeminence.
“Strategically, the relationship with India matters,” he said.
Interest in U.S.-India relations has increased in recent years, from both sides of the aisle, Khanna noted. In addition to Khanna and Waltz, his delegation includes four Democrats and two Republicans.
“I think that there’s a growing bipartisan consensus of the importance of this relationship,” he said.
‘Can’t be swept under the rug’
The U.S. has recently accused India of engaging in human rights abuses, something Khanna says will be part of the conversations and dialogue during the trip.
“We have challenges in our country and certainly India has challenges in theirs and to have that kind of frank exchange, I believe that that’s important and that’s the role I’ve taken,” he said.
In June, Modi addressed a joint session of Congress which some Democratic lawmakers boycotted because of the reported human rights violations.
Khanna said he respects his colleagues who boycotted Modi’s speech.
“It can’t just be swept under the rug, it has to be part of the conversation,” he said.
The way to further the conversation, Khanna says, is to have an open dialogue that discusses the challenges of building a cohesive democracy that values minority rights. Throughout the trip, Khanna said he hopes to continue to convey the importance of pluralism and respecting minority rights.
“I think one can have two views that aren’t contradictory − that India is a very important partner, a very important democracy and yet that it’s imperfect and that we have to be aspirational in making sure it’s pluralistic and respects minority rights as it’s proved to its founding ideal in a way that America is trying to live up to our founding ideals,” he said.
If Vidyalankar was alive today, Khanna imagines he would hope to see a relationship between the U.S. and India that focuses on being vibrant, pluralistic democracies with the free exchange of ideas. Khanna thinks his grandfather would want an added focus on the climate, global poverty, the empowerment of women and education.
“He would want the United States and India to work toward not just a relationship that benefits both countries economically and strategically, but also that benefits the world,” he said.
