US Politics

Twist in anti-India city councils Saga: The buck stops in Chicago.

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Thank you Chicago CC from the bottom of Indian American hearts

By July 2020, after Seattle, Cambridge, San Francisco, Hamtramck in Michigan the anti-India resolution train arrived in Chicago the CAIR (Council On American Islamic Relations) Chicago bragged about the resolution it had started and publicly announce the Indian American Democratic Organisation (IADO) also was working along with it.

In many Chicago area, Indian American natives grouped together and those with prior experience from similar divisive hateful resolutions in few other cities started social media campaigns to all of Chicago’s city council members, especially to Maria Hadden in the 49th ward and six other councils all the men and all the women who co-sponsored the resolution 2020-583.

Apart from this many emails were sent to all the 50 Chicago city council members and much work was done via other channels and relationships built with Aldermen and Alderwomen in Chicago, including a senior African American Congressman of Chicago

Hindu women wearing Bindi was been shot dead and we don’t want to start another wave of discrimination against the Hindu American community now this time in greater Chicago.

Apart from social media campaigns with one click emails by thousands of involved Indian Americans directly to city council Alderpersons, individual phone calls directly to Aldermen and talking about the fallacy of Chicago’s anti-India resolution was provided. Tweets to Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Governor and lawmakers became a regular event.

A change.org petition was started against the resolution 2020-583 and signed by thousands of frustrated and anxious Hindu Americans across the country.

Chicago’s name as a welcoming city, a Midwestern haven built on tremendous hard work as an inclusive world-class city was in jeopardy if it passed the divisible hateful resolution singling out India thereby Indian Americans. This projects us in a very negative way all across America’s city councils and thereby in the cities, for no fault of ours.

This in itself but sows the seeds of discrimination and bias against Hindu Americans who were already targeted decades earlier by the dot busters in New Jersey: Hindu women wearing Bindi was been shot dead and we don’t want to start another wave of discrimination against the Hindu American community now this time in greater Chicago.

Hindu Americans are known for our seamless integration into mainstream America rendering services and as diverse fields as an information technology business, healthcare, real estate, education, finance all involving direct community contact defeating this preplanned conspiracy laced anti-India resolution whisking the first line of the resolution 2020-583 was deceptive by stating Chicago City Council honours the Republic of India yet as one read the entire resolution it was clearly asking for American lawmakers to impose sanctions against Indian government into freeze assets of Indian government leadership and cancel their visas. Clearly, this was not intended to improve the well-being of the Chicago City Council or any of the wards that Aldermen and Alderwomen represented at the city council, never mind that Covid is still raging.

Never mind that only 10 to 15% of Illinois has been vaccinated, yet Alderwoman Maria Hadden from 49th ward and her team was bent on passing scathing attacks on the Indian government which was busy flying out vaccines to 70 world countries while still generating more vaccines for its own citizen’s, vaccines were even sent to Bangladesh, Pakistan and many other Muslim majority countries.

They spoke on behalf of us, on behalf of about 300,000 strong Indian American community in greater Chicago.

While Maldives and Mauritius stated India always helps and does not expect something in return.

On March 24, 2021, the voting day, justice was finally delivered to Indian Americans who toiled for eight long months and other Indian Americans who had watched the entire city councils anti-India sagas unfold starting with Seattle City Council.

In general, the devoted Indian Americans had been rattled by a string of false allegations, conspiracy and false accusations against good old India while elsewhere in China, Uyghuirs’ organs were being harvested for organ donation!! However, nobody had cared to pass a resolution against that inhuman action.

During the hearing at city councils’ virtual meeting, Many Aldermen spoke up boldly about the meaningless anti-India resolution:

  1. Alderman Jason Ervin bravely stated that it was very wrong to appropriate apartheid to what is happening in India and it was wrong to like Modi to Idi Amin or Nazi dictators.
  2. Alderman Raymond Lopez eloquently said why this resolution is really wrong and how the majority of his wards Indian Americans are against it.
  3. Alderman George Cardenas queried why India was being talked about while very heinous crimes were being committed to Uyghurs in China.

They spoke on behalf of us, on behalf of about 300,000 strong Indian American community in greater Chicago.

They echoed our sentiments, concerns and sensitivities regarding this resolution which was being unleashed on the entire Indian American community that works hard to make Chicago a greater city.

This resolution was mentioned as divisive and also spoke up that such a resolution regarding another country is really uncalled for; minding our own backyard right here in Chicago is the need of the hour.

Both Aldermen offices I called two days prior to the resolution and spent time explaining the compassionate CAA (Citizenship [Amendment] Act) law and how voting in favour of the resolution 2020-583, amounts to Chicago City Council opposing the rescue of religiously persecuted Hindus, Christians, Buddhist, Jains, and Sikhs from Pakistan, Bangladesh Afghanistan, freed to India.

One of the Alderperson’s office kindly replied thanking for the insight provided. The other Alderman’s office became increasingly uncomfortable listening to the on-ground reality and how anti-India and anti-Hindu this resolution is.

Neither of them voted in support of the resolution finally.

This resolution is very unfair, part of a huge conspiracy against India; the resolution failed dramatically and emphatically.

The meaningless and full-of-lies hateful resolution failed because 26 Aldermen and Alderwomen of Chicago City Council had the wherewithal, understanding, awareness, commonsense, courage and ability to stand for truth and justice.

Their conscience understood that allegations were being made against India, vehemently and they heeded to their conscience which told them something was grossly amiss and they had to dig deeper and they found very disturbing information.

Hence they opposed the resolution demonising India.

March 24, 2021, is the day Chicago City Council won the hearts of hundreds of thousands of Indian Americans not only in greater Chicago but across the entire USA and across the globe all the way in India from aghast Indian Americans, Indian government and Hindus, the Chicago City Council has stood by justice thereby preventing Chicago City Council from becoming an unsuspecting accomplice in the conspiracy to malign Indian government, Hindus, Hindu Americans, by projecting the most compassionate law as something that was discriminatory.

By their stand against this phoney resolution, the Chicago City Council has assured it won’t be a wrench in the rescue of truly oppressed religious minorities belonging to Hinduism, Christianity, Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot, very aptly stated it is not the place for city councils to get ahead of Federal policies and Internation affairs and get ahead of the Biden administration.

The Magnificent mile extends all over the Chicago City Council now. Thank you Chicago City Council from the bottom of Indian American hearts.

Are all other city councils of America listening?

Note:
1. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of PGurus.

View Comments

  • The Middle East Forum was among the non-Hindu groups to take a stand against this hateful and divisive resolution.

    Next, we are on to defeating Ilhan Omar’s resolution, sponsored by US Islamist groups and Pakistani agitators.

  • Can you comment on today's Washington Post article about Holi and Sexual Harrassment.

    Looks like every single festival of ours is fair game.

  • Shobhaji, From a native Indian,thanks to all the PIOs and your colleagues for propagating truth and human values to the learned council members. Illinois has Rama Temple, Balaji temple , Hanuman temple and Shirdi Sai temple patronised by hundreds of Hindus and the deities are guiding you.

    There are many such PIO Hindu organisations, who have built many temples and their patrons can take the lead in bringing truth to the respective city council members. Basically Americans are friendly people, and PIOs should interact with the local governing bodies and spread the Hinduism values.

    What are the Indian consulate members in US doing ? Why can’t these people conduct webinar’s or arrange get together with local authorities and support the Indian community ? With VISA work out sourced what are the consulate members doing ? Wake up Foreign Ministry officials in Delhi, learn what is nationalism from Indian diaspora and forget being secular.

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