Washington : The Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans on May 20 celebrated its 10th anniversary with a solemn pledge by U.S. lawmakers to expand India-U.S. engagement for the mutual benefit of the two countries.

Participating in the function, organized by the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and the Indian Embassy, they advocated increasing Indo-U.S. cooperation in various fields, especially in the defense and high-tech sectors.

An Indian parliamentary delegation, led by Krishna Bose, chairperson of the Standing Committee of External Affairs, especially came from New Delhi to participate in the celebrations of the caucus, the biggest in the U.S. Congress, enjoying the support of 162 lawmakers, drawn from both the Democratic and the Republican Party.

The occasion was marked by honoring the present and past co-chairs of the caucus with the Bharat Mitra (Friend of India) Award which was presented by Bose to Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Jim McDermott (D-WA), who were the founding members of the caucus and the current co-chairs Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) and Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-NY). After accepting the award, the lawmakers made brief remarks.

Welcoming the guests, caucus co-chair Rep. Crowley said the event highlights the tremendous strides that the caucus has been able to make over the past 10 years. “As members of the community you know all the work that you have done to raise the level of awareness in Congress toward India and I am proud to facilitate this.”

Rep. Wilson also spoke of how his ties with India went back to the days when his father was a member of the Flying Tigers while he served in India.

Rep. Pallone said the bilateral ties between India and the U.S. had warmed up due to the caucus. This was also because of the diligent efforts made by the Indian Americans to cultivate various congressmen.

Bose said the turning point in Indo-U.S. relations came when former president Bill Clinton visited India.

She, however, added that it was heartening to see how President Bush has kept the doors of friendshipand is actively engaged in India.

Bose also introduced the members of the parliamentary delegation to the gathering. They were: Rama Mohan Rao of Telugu Desam Party, Akhilesh Yadav, Samajwadi Party, Rashid Alvi, Bahujan Samaj Party, Bikram Keshari Deo of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Satyavrat Chaturvedi of the Indian National Congress and Gen. (Retd.) Shankar Roy Chowdhury, Independent.

Earlier, in hisng remarks, Ambassador Lalit Mansingh said “the occasion is really a celebration of Indo-U.S. relations.”