India welcomes appointment of Eric Garcetti as US envoy

Even as the World Hindu Council of America campaigned against Eric Garcetti’s nomination for the post of the envoy of Washington DC to New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government on Thursday welcomed the confirmation of his appointment by the United States Senate.

The Senate – the upper chamber of the American Congress – on Wednesday voted 52 to 42 to confirm the appointment of Garcetti, 51, a former mayor of Los Angeles, as the US ambassador to India – almost 20 months after President Joe Biden nominated him for the post.

“We welcome the confirmation of Eric Garcetti as the US Ambassador to India. We look forward to working with him to take forward the multifaceted bilateral relations,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in New Delhi. He was asked about the position of the Government of India on the campaign launched by a political advocacy group linked to the World Hindu Council of America (WHCA) against the nomination of Garcetti by the Biden Administration.

Read | Eric Garcetti confirmed as US Ambassador to India

The WHCA had appealed to the US Senate to reject the nomination of Garcetti. It had alleged that Garcetti had demonstrated “poor understanding” of India, while giving his testimony before the US Senate Committee of Foreign Relations in December 2021 during his earlier abortive attempt to confirm the appointment.

When he had been asked about the controversial and allegedly discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) introduced by the Modi government, human rights violations and the purported persecution of Muslims in India, Garcetti had told the Senate committee all these issues would remain at the core of his engagements with New Delhi during his stint as the US ambassador to India.

The video of Garcetti’s December 2021 testimony resurfaced in social media recently, with several netizens denouncing his comment.

Garcetti is now expected to reach New Delhi soon to lead the US embassy, which did not have a full-time ambassador at its helm since Biden succeeded Donald Trump in January 2021.

The much-delayed confirmation of Garcetti’s appointment as the US ambassador to India is likely to add momentum to the preparations by both sides for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s proposed state visit to Washington DC in June or July.

Biden is also expected to visit New Delhi to attend the G20 summit on September 9 and 10.

Garcetti has been accused of being aware of the alleged sexual misconduct of his top aide Jacobs. The then Mayor of Los Angeles had denied the allegation persistently during a hearing at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on his nomination in December 2021. But a whistle-blower, Naomi Seligman, who had earlier worked as the communications director at the office of the Mayor of Los Angeles, had urged the US Senate officials to examine his claims further. This prompted Republican Senator Chuck Grassley to get his office to conduct a probe and come out with a report. The report had concluded that Garcetti was likely aware of the alleged misconduct by Jacobs.