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Newsmakers of the Week MAY 22, 2026 | The Indian Eye 34

NEWSMAKERS OF THE WEEK

Selected stories about Indian diaspora from our website www.theindianeye.com

RO KHANNA KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH

Democrat defends outreach to Minister highlights India’s “holistic

conservative audiences approach” to welfare of diaspora

ew York, NY: India has adopt-
ed a “holistic approach” to
Nmigration governance, placing
the “welfare, protection and empow-
erment of emigrants at its core,” af-
firmed Minister of State for External
Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh.
Speaking at a special event or-
ganised by the Permanent Mission of
India to the UN on the margins of the
second International Migration Review Forum (IMRF), Singh highlighted In-
dia’s “pioneering” digital initiatives designed to facilitate mobility and safeguard
its citizens abroad.
“The Indian migration story is both vast and dynamic. We have a diaspora of
over 34 million people spread all across the globe, encompassing more than 200
ashington, DC: Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna on Sunday countries, and our global community has served to connect economies, cultures,
(local time) defended his outreach to conservative audiences after and ideas through many centuries,” he stated.
WUS President Donald Trump launched a series of Truth Social posts The Minister noted that the Indian diaspora’s contributions, ranging from
attacking both Khanna and Fox News, accusing the network of undermining the remittances and investments to knowledge exchange, are vital to India’s growth
MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement by platforming Democrats. as well as the development of their host nations.
Congressman Khanna on Sunday (local time) appeared on Fox News He explained that India’s framework treats migration as a “continuum” that
programme “The Sunday Briefing” and discussed an economic agenda fo- spans “pre-departure preparation, safe transit, dignified employment, and even-
cused on rebuilding American manufacturing, including steel, shipbuilding, tual return and reintegration back into our societies.”
and battery plants in struggling industrial communities. Singh showcased the “pioneering initiative” of the ‘e-Migrate’ platform to
Reacting to Trump’s criticism, Khanna framed his media strategy as es- the global audience, demonstrating how India is harnessing digital innovation.
sential for Democratic revival and national unity. The mobile application provides seamless access to essential services, in-
In a post on X, he said, “Trump’s second attack of the day on me”, adding cluding tracking application status, identifying registered or blacklisted recruit-
that his willingness to appear on conservative media was deliberate, not acci- ment agents, and filing of grievances.”
dental. He said, “This is why I go on Fox.” India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Harish Par-
He argued that Democrats must reconnect with working-class commu- vathaneni, observed that the IMRF gathering arrives at a time when “migration
nities through a manufacturing-focused economic message. He said, “This is and migrants have become a politically contested terrain.”
why I talk about an economic agenda to build steel, ship & battery plants in He reaffirmed that India remains “firmly committed” to legal and regular
hollowed out communities.” migration pathways.
Khanna also stressed the importance of engaging Trump supporters di- “With an Indian diaspora of 34 million spread almost in all parts of the
rectly instead of treating them with hostility. He said, “This is why I talk to world, we have a firm and vital interest in ensuring regular migration pathways
everyone, including Trump voters, without hurling insults.” are encouraged, solidified, and strengthened. Yet we are also very clear that
He added by presenting the approach as a path toward electoral success the distinction between migrants and refugees should be very, very clear,” Par-
and political reconciliation. “This is how Democrats will win & unite the vathaneni said. The Ambassador further highlighted the application of the India
country,” he said. digital stack in creating population-scale solutions for migrant welfare.
Trump on Sunday (local time), through a lengthy Truth Social post, ac- He expressed India’s readiness to partner with other nations to help them
cused Fox News of allowing Democratic figures to spread “lies” without adopt similar open-source digital platforms for the effective management and
meaningful “rebuttal” from anchors, targeting “The Sunday Briefing” co-an- protection of their migrant communities.
chor Jacqui Heinrich.
In the post, he said, “You could listen to FoxNews all day long, absolutely PARMJIT PARMAR
devour it, but then, when you hear sleazebags, like Congressman Ro Khanna, “a
wolf in sheep’s clothing,” lie, lie, lie, and lie again, without any pushback, or com- Executive sentenced to Five Years in
petent rebuttal from an anchor, in this case, Jacqui Heinrich, the entire Common
Sense dialogue that has been going on all day at Fox is completely obliterated!” Prison for $212 Million Fraud
Trump questioned why Fox continued inviting Democratic voices on its pro-
grams. He said, “Why would Fox put scum like this on, or others, such as Low ewark, NJ: The former chief executive officer of a publicly traded
Rated Bill Maher, who gains “credibility” by constant referral to him as though healthcare services company was sentenced on May 5, 2026, for his role
he were a Liberal source of “Wisdom,” or very Low IQ Hakeem Jeffries, who Nin a large-scale conspiracy to defraud investors in connection with the
considers the Supreme Court “illegitimate,” and probably hates our Country.” Continued on next page... >>

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