Indian politicians are intelligent: U.S. politicians

Bangalore: A seven-member delegation of young American politicians recently completed a two-week tour of India, wherein they learned about governance in India and sought to build Indo-U.S. cultural, economic and political ties. But more than anything else, what struck the Americans was the quality of Indian politicians, who they said are very intelligent.

More than anything, Brian Calle, a Republican and former Vice President of the Claremont institute was struck by the quality of Indian politicians. "They were very impressive, very intelligent and obviously tuned into the needs of their constituents. Those we spoke to have a vision of India becoming a true global superpower and have plans in place to achieve this - education reform, economic reform that focuses on job creation, improved health care and infrastructure, and so on."

The delegation, brought together by the American Council of Young Political Leaders, comprised Caucasians and African-Americans, and Democrats and Republicans. Democrats included former traveling Political Director for the 2004 John Kerry Presidential campaign, Amy Dacey, Seattle-area Member of the Washington state House of Representatives, Zachary Hudgins and Missouri State Representative Jamilah Nasheed.

Among Republicans were Utah State Representative Keith Grover, Paul Scapicchio of government relations firm ML Strategies and Mayor of Farmington, Michigan, Valerie Knol.

For each of the seven - all of whom are aged between 25 and 40 - it was their first trip to India, one that included visits to Delhi, Chennai, Goa, Pune and Mumbai. In Delhi, the delegation met several political leaders, including senior leaders of Bharatiya Janata Party and a few members of the Delhi assembly.

"I learned a lot about the political processes and party structures in India. In some ways, the American and Indian systems are similar. But there are many differences, too," said Nasheed. "Even within the coalitions themselves, I imagine it's very difficult to get all the different parties to agree on an overall agenda."

In Chennai, the delegation met Deputy Chief Minister M K Stalin, members of the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce, workers from a women's NGO and the owners of a self-sufficient eco-house outside of Chennai.

Valerie said that she was struck by India's joie de vivre. "Amidst all this truly crushing poverty, you see smiles everywhere. You see a commitment to education, to improving the environment, to supporting friends and loved ones. There's definitely a strong sense of will, pride and determination that you see here."

Valerie added that she was extremely impressed with the strong family unit in India, and lamented that the same couldn't be said for America's inner cities. "That support system, of having the family right there, is very valuable. There are many single mothers trying to raise children in our inner cities, and it's really difficult."