Remittances to political financing: Why Andhra, Telangana politicians race to woo Telugu NRIs

Hyderabad: In the last couple of months, who’s who of Indian politics have been wooing non-resident Indians (NRIs) across the world. Most recently, America has been in the focus given the visit of PM Narendra Modi, and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

Also, closer to home, leaders like Telangana IT minister KT Rama Rao, Telangana Congress President Revanth Reddy, Janasena Chief Pawan Kalyan, and TDP leader Balakrishna have been making the rounds to curry favour with the influential diaspora.

Andhra Pradesh CM Jagan Mohan Reddy addressed the North America Telugu Association (NATA) virtually, while his rival TDP has been attending Telugu Association of North America (TANA) meetings. This raises the question of why are Indian politicians interested in NRIs.

Why Indian politicians are interested in Indian Americans

According to the recent 2020 census by the United States, there are 4 million Indians currently residing in America. This includes 1.6 million visa holders, 1.4 million naturalized residents, and a million US-born residents. This is the largest number of Indians in any country outside India.

Acknowledging the Indian American contributions, Republican Rich McCormick US lawmaker said one percent of Indian Americans pay 6 percent of taxes. To be noted here, Indians are the highest-earning ethnic group in the USA.

Economical and Electoral Influence

Shashidhar Nanjundaiah, an Indian American and a former editor who has headed various media institutes in India, said: " Indian American community is the wealthiest in the United States. This status has given them power and influence within US corporations and the government. They have thus developed the ability to interact and collaborate with the Indian government."

"This influence has been around since the 2000s and recalled when state chief ministers like Chandrababu Naidu (United Andhra Pradesh) and SM Krishna (Karnataka) gave presentations to Indian NRIs on the IT sector for Hyderabad and Bangalore. This influence has helped India and its states to pitch their interests in the IT sector and other industries. It is almost obvious for India to expect Indian American CEOs to invest in India, as their numbers in Silicon Valley increase. But, I cannot speak to how partial these CEOs are to their home of birth, but the pressure must be palpable."

Shashidhar emphasized that Indian Americans have electoral influence at home. “Their remittances are a valuable source of income, so political parties are interested in galvanizing their support. Additionally, Indian Americans are seen as an aspiration by those back home, and they have a lot of communicative influence," he said.

"Indian Americans are also politically active in both the United States and back home. They align with their political interests and form groups aligned to the particular party. Hence, political parties in India are interested in galvanizing their support. More specifically, the political parties want Indian Americans to be very interested in Indian politics," he noted.

Shashidhar explained, "The narrative around political leaders' interactions in the United States appeals to domestic Indian audiences as global leaders. This is done by framing what they say in terms of global implications, helping the parties present their leaders as being important and influential figures on the world stage."

Telugus & politics

Telugu communities have also been actively organizing meetings with political leaders and renowned celebrities as chief guests. The association members have also been attending meetings organized by the political parties. These meetings have been the subject of much discussion. Videos of internal rifts between two Telugu political groups in the United States have gone viral in recent times, drawing attention to Telugu living in America and their political camaraderie.

The US census shows that Telugu Americans make up a significant portion of the Indian population living abroad. Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in India account for 14% of all Indian Americans living in the United States. This makes, back-home leaders like Telangana IT minister KT Rama Rao, Telangana Congress President Revanth Reddy, Janasena Chief Pawan Kalyan, and TDP & YSRCP leaders meet the Telugu Americans.

A Telugu American who prefers not to be named told NewsMeter: "Telugus are the most active in conducting cultural and political events than any other regional groups from India."

This can also be seen in the Ministry of External Affairs' Database for Indian Association Abroad, which lists over 10 Telugu cultural associations in the United States. This is the highest number of any regional association in the United States.

"Telugu Association of North America (TANA) was founded in 1977 and is the oldest organization. However, members of this organization have since split off to form other associations based on their community and political affiliations. There are now around 10 such organizations. Although these are non-profit cultural organizations, they continue to support political parties and leaders backstage," shared a Telugu American.

Speaking to NewsMeter, Sudha Rani Kondapu, one of the board directors of the North America Telugu Association (NATA), said: "The political parties show interest in Telugu Americans because they want their financial and talent expertise for the states and locality development. While some Telugu Americans join to develop their hometowns, others want to advance their self-interests such as their businesses or political relations."

Clarifying the hostility between Telugus within the associations, she added: "Organisations main motto here is to serve the Telugu community and promote its culture and language. However, within the associations, there are people with different political interests. Sometimes, things will go out of hand over muscularity to win their self-interests and goals."

Colloquial Loyalties

Political analyst and former MLC Prof. Nageswar said: "Telugu American associations do a good job in promoting culture, language, and helping the Telugu community. However, the other side of these associations has been infiltrated by caste, regional, and religious biases. This is unfortunate, but not unnatural, as some people continue to hold onto their colloquial loyalties even after moving to other continents."

Prof. Nageswar shared his experience from his visit to the US for the cultural meeting."I was invited to a TANA meeting in 2013. The program was more of an entertainment activity. Therefore, I was a misfit. I didn't get an opportunity to speak even for five minutes. I suggest that Telugu associations conduct intellectual meetings and invite thought leaders from various backgrounds to engage with the overseas Indian community in ideas sharing," he said.

Further, NewsMeter's interactions with various Telugu Americans and analysts have revealed: "Caste, region, and religion have crept into Telugu American associations, leading to division. People who do not fit into the caste, region, and religious matrix of those who lead the associations are not invited as guests, even if they are immensely popular among the Telugu American community."