WASHINGTON : A multi-party Indian parliamentary delegation and a group of business leaders assured Bush administration officials and

Congressmen that there would be continuity in the country’s foreign and economic policies despite the change of government in New Delhi.

Addressing a press conference on Sept. 10 at the St. Regis Hotel, at the end of their three-day meetings in Washington, D.C., the delegation led by B.J. Panda, Member of Parliament from the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), said they had in-depth discussions on issues of relevance to India and the United States.

At most meetings, the delegation was asked whether there would be continuity in India’s policies with the change in the political set-up in New Delhi after the general election.

The delegation assured the Americans that “at the most changes could be on the nuances and or on emphasis but broadly there will be continuity in policies, whether they be economic policies or foreign policy,” Panda said.

Other issues that dominated their interaction with American officials were business process outsourcing (BPO), lack of U.S. investments in India, military cooperation, strategic interest and economic relations.

The delegation also raised the issue of anti-dumping duties and other irritants in the two-way trade between India and the U.S.

Asked whether India-Pakistan relations came up for discussion, Panda said three years ago it was top on the agenda of any talks in the U.S. “But of late relations between India and the U.S. have improved a great deal and Pakistan is no longer discussed. Even though it cannot be dismissed as a non-issue, it is only one of the issues but it no longer occupies centerstage as in earlier years,” he added.

The administration officials with whom the delegation had an exchange of views included Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Christina Rocca, Under Secretary of State Alan Larson, Assistant Secretary Karan Bhatia of the Department of Transport, Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, Under Secretary of Defense Policy Douglas Feith, Under Secretary of Commerce Ken Juster and Ambassador Robert Blackwill, who is now Coordinator for the National Security Adviser.

Besides meeting members of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, the delegation also met with Chairman of the House International Relations Committee Henry Hyde, and Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Sen. Richard Lugar.

The delegation members said there were misconceptions both in the U.S. and India on the issue of outsourcing, but business leaders in the U.S. not only appreciated the IT industry in India but also its growth potential. Regarding the slow pace of investments from the U.S. to India, Panda and others, including Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) president Y.K. Modi, said one should not blame the U.S. alone in this regard. The investment climate in India should also change to make it more investor-friendly, they said.

Besides Panda and Modi, other members of the delegation included Manvendra Singh (Bharatiya Janata Party), Jiten Prasada, Sachin Pilot and Milind Deora (all Congress Party), Onkar Kanwar, vice president of FICCI and Amit Mitra, secretary general of FICCI.