US elections not to hamper Indo-US nuke deal: Consul General

Chennai, Nov 8 (UNI) US Consul General Mr David T Hopper today expressed confidence that the outcome of Tuesday's election to the House of Representatives and the Senate would not hamper the Indo-US nuclear deal.

Talking to newspersons here, during the US mid-term election live coverage at the consulate, Mr Hopper said, ''the nuclear deal Bill will be passed in the coming session of the Senate next week, as the former members of the Senate will also be there to vote.'' He said the Senate had given top priority to the nuclear deal and the US Government was committed to pass the bill at the earliest.

Asked about the reflection of the Iraq issue in favour of the Democrats, Mr Hopper said, ''the US war on Iraq is not the only issue for Republicans to lose the House of Representatives, but there are various other issues involved in it, like the Mexican immigration issue.'' Ms Deepa Iyer, the executive director of South Asian American Leaders of Tomorrow in a video conference from Washington broadcast at the US Consulate, said, ''at some places voters had problems voting in the electronic voting machines. There were also complaints that some Indian voters were intimidated not to vote, though there exists a Voting Rights Act, 1965.'' Mr Frederick J Kaplan, Public Affairs Officer at the US Consulate General office said, ''the Indian-American community is largely a new one unlike the East Asian population which had settled there decades ago. Indian voters are largely first generation voters. Many of the Indian voters will have voted for the Democrats.'' He pointed out that 10 Indian-Americans, including Bobby Jindal of the Republicans, are in the fray for various posts in the House of Representatives and the Senate.

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