Search the Internet          Tips

No conflict with ambassador-at-large: Lalit Mansingh

Aziz Haniffa in Washington

Indian ambassador Lalit Mansingh has welcomed Bhishma Kumar Agnihotri's appointment as ambassador-at-large as something "long overdue", and said it would in no way conflict with his ambassadorial duties.

In a telephonic interview with Indo-Asian News Service, Mansingh said he had congratulated Agnihotri even before his appointment was announced on August 23.

"It was an appointment that was long overdue. He is highly respected among the non-resident Indians. I couldn't think of anybody better for this job. We will be working very closely together. I look forward to his help and guidance on NRI and persons of Indian origin related matters."

Asked if Agnihotri would work out of the embassy in Washington, Mansingh said: "Those administrative details have to be worked out. He will probably be based in New York."

On whether Agnihotri would report to him or be independent, he said: "He's got an advisory status. We will work out a system of working together."

Meanwhile, Shekhar Tiwari, founder of the Overseas Friends of the Bharatiya Janata Party and a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh stalwart in the US, hailed Agnihotri's appointment.

"He is qualified and understands how the American system works. He also appreciates the value Indian Americans have for India."

Asked if the RSS or BJP had influenced Agnihotri's appointment, Tiwari said: "We did not do anything. His qualification speaks for itself."

"How many Indians are chancellor of a law university in the US? He was the youngest judge in India. I think he was then in his late 20s or early 30s."

Mukund Mody, one of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's closest friends in the US, was more restrained in his enthusiasm.

"I have no reservations. The direction is correct. Right now, however, nobody knows the exact scope of this appointment. To tell you the truth, even our ambassador and his staff are in a limbo. They do not know what he (Agnihotri) is going to do."

At the same time, Mody acknowledged Agnihotri as a "legal luminary".

"He has lived in this country for more then 20 years, so he understands the situation of the NRIs."

"He may not be one of the outspoken leaders of the community, but he is well-informed. He has been an adviser to the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin and was well-known in the Clinton administration."

Agnihotri is credited with convincing the then president Bill Clinton to be the keynote speaker at the AAPI convention in Chicago a few years ago.

"He may not have the best of relations with the Republicans, but that is no disqualification," Mody said.

Indo-Asian News Service

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report