Anti WHC petitions didn’t deter US Congressman

‘I came here because I believe in the highest form of Hinduism, which embraces everyone including my constituents.’

US Congressman Subramanian Raja Krishnamoorthi, having Indian roots, has become a cynosure for the Indian community here, as he attended the World Hindu Congress ignoring petitions asking him to stay away. Krishnamoorthi, 45, is US Representative for Illinois’ 8th congressional district and the Chicago suburb, where the event was held.

Krishnamoorthi was born in 1973 in New Delhi to a Tamil-speaking family, which moved to New York later. In 1980, the family moved to Peoria, Illinois. He got his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Princeton University. He then received a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School.

During one of the plenary sessions at the WHC, Krishnamoorthi said: “Some of my friends and constituents were very concerned about my presence here. I decided I had to be here because I wanted to reaffirm the highest and only form of Hinduism that I have ever known and been taught, viz one that welcomes all people, embraces all people, accepts all people regardless of their faith, including all my constituents.”

Krishnamoorthi became the target of social media attacks for taking part in WHC. “We fail to under- stand the hue and cry. Lt Governor of Illinois Evelyn Sanguinetti, Vice President of India Venkaiah Naidu and his Suriname counterpart Ashwin Adhin and many other dignitaries spoke here,” said one of the organisers, adding it was an apolitical event where renowned figures like Swami Swaroopananda, among others participated. In the US, it is fairly common of politicians to attend faith gatherings including speaking at churches, etc., and many wondered why attending a Hindu faith gathering was being made to be such a big issue, an organiser said. Several WHC delegates viewed vicious attack on Raja and others as an assault on Hindu religious minority in the US.

Krishnamoorthi could not be reached for his comments, despite several attempts.