Shefali Razdan Duggal is inspiration for Indian-Americans: community leader Ajay Jain Bhutoria
Washington, April 20
Indian-American political activist Shefali Razdan Duggal, who has been nominated by US President Joe Biden as his envoy to the Netherlands, is a source of inspiration for the South Asians, in particular girls and women, an eminent community leader has said on Tuesday.
On March 11, Biden nominated Duggal as the US Ambassador to the Netherlands. Her nomination is pending before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
A Kashmiri pandit, Duggal, 50, was born in Haridwar and moved with her family to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the age of two.
“Shefali has been leading our community at National level in Democrat politics and have inspired so many South Asian Americans and Americans all over the country to have a seat at the table and play important roles and contribute to the growth of the Democratic Party,” community leader Ajay Jain Bhutoria said.
“Shefali Razdan Duggal’s nomination for appointment by the President as the next ambassador to the Netherlands is a moment of great joy and pride for South Asians and the entire Indian-American community. I am so full of happiness to see Shefali being nominated as the next Ambassador to the Netherlands,” he said.
In its certificate of competency sent to the United States Senate, the State Department said Duggal’s demonstrated commitment to the American democratic process, advancing human rights, coupled with her keen understanding of the need to ensure that all voices are heard in a multi-ethnic society, make her a well-qualified candidate to serve as Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Describing her as “an experienced political activist, women’s rights advocate and human rights campaigner,” the State Department said former US president Barack Obama appointed Duggal to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Council, and after her term expired, she has continued to serve as a Western Regional Advisor.
A strong Democratic Party activist, Duggal has been a major fundraiser of the party since the days of Obama. She joined US Vice President Kamala Harris’s successful campaign for attorney general of California and later for her transition team.
