New Delhi/Chandigarh, August 19
“Building bridges of understanding between a strong NRI community and the US authorities on one hand and the Indian government on the other would be my first and foremost endeavour,” says Mr Bhishma K. Agnihotri, who is tipped to be India’s ever Ambassador-at-large. He has been asked by the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, to “come over to India” in the coming week to discuss modalities of his new assignment.

“So far I have no official communication about my appointment. But I hope to get a formal communication before I leave for India later this week,” said Mr Agnihotri, presently working as Chancellor, Southern University Law Center, Baton Rouge in the USA, in a telephonic interview with The Tribune .

His appointment assumes importance in the light of Mr Vajpayee’s forthcoming visit to the USA to address the United Nations General Assembly in New York in the last week of September.

“My effort would be to initiate a two-way traffic with focus on the NRIs. This would consolidate a new Indo-US relationship foundation. The NRIs have the resources. We would help the existing diplomatic network and supplement Indian embassy in Washington. I am confident there would be no clash or conflict of interests but would rather work as a team,” he said.

The Tribune was the first newspaper in the country to talk about the possibility of appointment of Mr Agnihotri as Ambassador-at-large 11 months ago.

The proposed appointment of Mr Bhisma K. Agnihotri has raised eyebrows among career diplomats though the NDA Government believes the move is a key element in meeting the aspirations of Non-Resident Indians, who at present, number 15 lakh and contribute 5 per cent to the American GDP.

Sixtyeight-year-old amiable Mr Agnihotri is a son of Punjab as he belongs to Jalandhar and is married to Krishna, a daughter of a former Punjab MLA, Mr Harbhagwan Moudgil of Ludhiana. His son is a cardiac surgeon at Harvard while one daughter is a lawyer and the other is a child psychiatrist. His wife had worked as a lecturer in a Government College in Punjab before immigrating to the USA. Mr Agnihotri, one of the tallest member of Indian community in the USA, is very popular among various sections of NRIs in the USA.

“There will be no exclusive focus of this new position but idea is to make NRIs a cohesive force to be helpful to India. The role of the NRIs in implementing India’s goals and desires in the present day world has to be coordinated in a positive manner. The foremost task would be to encourage NRIs to make investments in India and participate in various developmental activities vigorously. Besides, the Ambassador-at-large would also work to ensure that future of the NRIs in the USA is secure.

“The idea is to create a strong group of Indian professionals, who by rising above religion, region or caste considerations, become a role model of Indian community to influence the social, economic and political lifestyle in the USA.

“Sixteen years ago, the number of Indian doctors in the USA was 34,000. I have been Adviser of the American Association of Physicians of Indian (AAPI) Origin. President Bill Clinton accepted the AAPI invitation in 1995 to address its members in Chicago,” Mr Agnihotri said maintaining that the position would provide a common platform for all the NRIs to understand and propagate India’s new economic policies and contribute for further development of their motherland. This would also include investment in infrastructure development and other key areas. “The idea is looking at Indians in a global framework.”

Mr Agnihotri says that he would decide his priorities only after meeting the Prime Minister and then the Indian community in the USA. “But dual citizenship would certainly be on top of his priority list,” he said.

Sources in the Ministry of External Affairs say that a formal letter of appointment as Ambassador-at-large is in pipeline and expected to be issued soon.

Authoritative sources in the union capital dismissed speculation that Mr Agnihotri’s presence in the USA would lead to another power centre emerging in the Indian mission in Washington. On the contrary, Mr Agnihotri can do a lot by maintaining a constant interface with the NRIs and help serve as a vital bridge in galvanising the Indians to participate in development projects back home. The persistent complaint of the NRIs has been that Indian missions have hardly any time for them.

Mr Agnihotri, who has known Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee for an extended length of time will base himself both in New York as a member of the Permanent Mission of India.