Mumbai: Here to deepen India-USA ties, says US Senator Jon Ossoff

Jon Ossoff, U.S Senator for Georgia, during the media briefing on Thursday. Pic/Shadab Khan

It has been a desi whirl for US Senator Jon Ossoff, who has had a packed few days in Mumbai. Ossoff, 35, is the youngest United States senator elected in three decades. He represents the State of Georgia which is home to more than 1,00,000 Indian Americans. Ossoff met the press at a media interaction at a Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) hotel on Thursday evening.

The Senator began by saying, his heart was "warmed by how welcome the business, political leaders have been here, and my trip so far including the reception, has far exceeded my expectations."

The Senator stated that one of the highlights of his meetings was, "an interaction with students whose creativity and positive attitude was impressive." Ossoff hosted a discussion with Jai Hind College students recently, to feel the pulse of the younger generation, and listen to challenges facing them.

Ossoff called US-India ties, "one of the most important friendships in the world, and I am here to deepen that friendship and ties. Both nations have in common, shared commitments to democratic principles and pluralism."

Ossoff met community and faith leaders, with the meets designed to honour local celebrations, like Ganesh Chaturthi. Ossoff visited Prabhadevi's landmark Siddhivinayak temple, engaging with the public. He described the visit as "special". Ossoff also visited the Jama Masjid, as part of meeting faith leaders.

The Senator packed in a visit to Dharavi too, learning about how the Dharavi thread is intricately woven into the city's tapestry. Besides these, he had meetings with top corporate houses and business leaders, to strengthen economic ties between India and the USA, and expand trade between India and Georgia.

Yet, Ossoff, a former investigative journalist as his background bio cites, gave little to journalists awaiting opinion or some that's-what-I-think perspective about the current global situation. In fact, Ossoff remained strictly diplomatic when a journalist asked him about a perception outside in some spaces, that the Indian government is leaning increasingly right-wing.

Ossoff said "committed to democracy and pluralism" in his answer. To a question about reports, though there is nothing official about these, about some global leaders talking about moving towards replacing the US dollar as a reserve currency, Ossoff said, "the US government stands firmly behind the currency." To another journalist's question about India vis-a-vis the Russia Ukraine war, and whether India's dependence on Russian oil was undermining USA's efforts to isolate Russia, Ossoff said he could not make any comment, "on specific Indian policies."