Suhas Subramanyam Takes Oath On Bhagavad Gita As First Indian-American Congressman From Virginia
Meanwhile, Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi read a passage from the Bhagavad Gita at the Bipartisan Interfaith Prayer Service on the first day of the 119th Congress.
Congressman Suhas Subramanyam made history after he took an oath of office on the sacred Hindu book the Bhagavad Gita, becoming first Indian American Congressman from the East Coast and the only lawmaker from the community to do so. He represents the 10th district of Virginia in the United States.
It was a special day as his mother, Tulsi Gabbard, who is the first Hindu Amercian to be ever elected to the US House of Representatives and the first lawmaker to take oath on the Gita, witnessed Subramanyam take oath.
Tulsi Gabbard, 43, was first sworn in on January 3, 2013, representing the second Congressional District of Hawaii as a member of the House of Representatives. She had immigrated through Dulles Airport and converted to Hinduism as a teenager. Gabbard is now a nominee for the estemmed position of Director of National Intelligence.
'Honoured To Be The First, But Not The Last'
In a statement after his swearing-in ceremony, Subramanyam said: "My parents got to see me sworn in as the first Indian American and South Asian Congressman from Virginia."
"If you had told my mother when she landed in Dulles Airport from India that her son would go on to represent Virginia in the United States Congress, she might have not believed you, but my story is the kind of promise that America holds. I am honoured to be the first, but not the last, as I represent Virginia’s 10th in Congress," he said.
Who Is Suhas Subramanyam?
Suhas Subramanyam is a former policy advisor to former US President Barack Obama and has served in the Virginia General Assembly since his first election in 2019. In Richmond, he founded the bipartisan "Commonwealth Caucus”, a bipartisan group of legislators focused on finding common ground.
Subramanyam has passed several landmark legislations which include combat the rise in gun violence, lower toll costs for commuters, ensure all students have access to top-notch education, and issue refunds to overcharged consumers.
Following Subramanyam's election, the 119th Congress now has four Hindu lawmakers. Besides him, the other three are Ro Khanna, Raja Krishnamoorthi, and Shri Thanedar. The US Congress includes Christians, Hindus, Muslims, as well as Buddhists. While Christians with 461 members constitute the largest religious group, Jews have 32 members, followed by the Hindus and Muslims that are a distant third largest religious group.
Raja Krishnamoorthi Reads Gita Passage At Bipartisan Interfaith Prayer Service
Indian American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi read a passage from the Gita at the Bipartisan Interfaith Prayer Service on the first day of the 119th Congress. The bipartisan service was held on January 3 to bless the new Congress ahead of its official constitution for another two-year term.
The 51-year-old represents the 8th Congressional District of Illinois and was sworn in as a member of the US House of Representatives for the fifth consecutive term last week on Friday.
"Years ago, Hindu Americans were not included at prayer services in our nation’s capital," said Krishnamoorthi, who was the only speaker to represent the Hindu faith.
Other speakers present at the widely attended service were Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
"I’m grateful that we now have a seat at the table and that I can play a part in spreading the beautiful blessings of the Hindu faith to my colleagues, both Republican and Democrat. Together we prayed for peace and prosperity, and in doing so are better equipped to tackle our nation’s toughest challenges ahead," he said,
Krishnamoorthi then went on to read a passage from the Bhagavad Gita.
It said: "The Supreme Lord said: In all activities just depend upon Me and work always under My protection. In such devotional service, be fully conscious of Me. If you become conscious of Me, you will pass over all the obstacles of conditional life by My grace. If, however, you do not work in such consciousness but act through false ego, not hearing Me, you will be lost."
(With inputs from news agency PTI)
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