BJP to create atmosphere of mutual goodwill and trust: Rajnath

Washington, July 23: The BJP, if voted to power, will create an atmosphere of "mutual goodwill and trust" with the US, party president Rajnath Singh said here, asking America to look at India as a long-term strategic partner and "not merely as a transactional" relationship.

Besides strongly raising India's concerns over H-1B visa issues as mentioned in the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill, Singh said the BJP-government would give new impetus to Indo-US ties, which is not only in the interest of the largest democratic countries of the world, but also in interest of regional and global peace, stability and prosperity.

"If we come to power, we will create an atmosphere of mutual good will and trust between our two countries so that all the perceptional problems can be automatically overcome and substantive issues resolved through mutual dialogue," Singh said on the first day of his Washington trip.

"The US should not look its relationship with India as merely transactional relations, but as a long-term strategic partnership," Singh said in a series of close door meetings attended by experts from various think-tanks, key Congressional staff, policy-makers, officials, academicians and those from the corporate world.

Participants of these meetings, according to sources, shared their frustration with India, in particular in the trade and business sector, to which Singh is believed to have said that the BJP is in favour of taking reform process forward.

"We are very much in favour of taking forward the economic reform process. It was under the NDA regime that the Indo-US relations both at the trade and commerce level as well as the strategic partnership level received further boost."

Noting that the BJP government gave new impetus to the economic reform process, Singh said the BJP welcomes FDI in many key sectors of the economy. "However, we have certain constraints with regard to allowing FDI in multi-brand retail... because it will affect the livelihood of 50 million Indians adversely," he said.

The US should appreciate our concerns just as we appreciate the concerns of the United States. Batting for Indian companies and Indians who would be effected by the provisions in the Immigration Reform Bill, he urged the US to reconsider these stringent provisions.

PTI