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Washington whispers

Pious Kat

Whether Bill Clinton will take with him a business delegation on his trip to India and Bangladesh is not yet known but surely he will take a few people with him as his guests. The grapevine has it there will be two Indian Americans among them. "There is mad rush among our people to be on Air Force One with the President," says a senior aide to an influential Congressman who says he receives at least 10 calls for day, beseeching him that their names be passed onto the Congressman, who, in turn is expected to pass it to the White House.

"Name dropping has never been practiced with such vigor in our community," says the aide. Practically everyone knows the prime minister, every second person is known to the minister for industries, and there is hardly anyone who does not know the foreign minister.

Persistent rumors have it that Niranjan Sharma, a Chicago businessman, is among Clinton's favorites. The Sharma family has played host to the Clintons and have met with him at the White House on several occasions.

"Clinton will naturally take with him someone from the community who is very good at writing checks," says one source.

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When Jimmy Carter, the last American president to visit India, met with Prime Minister Morarji Desai, the born-again Christian and Desai did not get along well with each other. But Atal Bihari Vajpayee, then foreign minister, and Carter had fine tunings.

Now Vajpayee is the prime minister, and his foreign minister has a reputation for being familiar with how Washington works.

Even then, several people in Washington wonder if India will give the visit the importance it deserves.

"If India thinks of Clinton as a mere lame-duck President, much will be lost," a senior Congressional analyst said. "New Delhi should remember that Clinton represents the American presidency. His visit should be such a success that the next President will not have to wait for two more decades before visiting India."

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Given her preoccupation with the Senate race in New York, the First Lady may not be inclined to accompany the President. Chelsea Clinton may go with her father, though. The mother and daughter have fond feelings for the sub-continent. The Indian community would love Hillary Clinton to go with her man. "She knows India much more than him," says one community leader. "She has been to our part of the world before, and she could help him be comfortable."

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Has New Delhi realized what a big media event Clinton's visit could be, wonders a community leader. There will be scores of journalists who will want to cover other things apart from Clinton's engagements. If New Delhi does not keep them well occupied and well humored, the media could come up with nothing but stories of potholes, naked sadhus, orphan cows and communal clashes, says a veteran Indian journalist.

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