Cheer for Delhi in Trump choice - Indian debut in cabinet

Charu Sudan Kasturi, TT, New Delhi, Nov. 23: American President-elect Donald Trump today picked South Carolina governor Nikki Haley as his ambassador to the UN, paving the way for her to become the first ever Indian-origin cabinet-ranking member of a US administration.

Haley, born Nimrita Randhawa to Sikh parents from Amritsar, confirmed that she had accepted Trump's offer, which like all major political appointments in the US will need to be confirmed by the country's Senate.

The selection of Haley, 44, represents a signal from Trump that he intends to continue with US support for India's aspirations for a larger global role, Indian officials who are scrutinising every move of the President-elect said.

Haley had publicly supported India's permanent membership to the UN Security Council in 2010, weeks before President Barack Obama travelled to New Delhi and formally offered US endorsement for the bid for the first time.

The selection by Trump of an Indian-American to a cabinet-ranking post adds to a growing number of Indian-origin politicians occupying key federal government roles in the West, whether as ambassadors or ministers.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's cabinet has four Indian-American members, including defence minister Harjit Sajjan. Former British Prime Minister David Cameron's cabinet also had four members of Indian origin, though current Prime Minister Theresa May's cabinet includes just one - secretary of state for international development Priti Patel.

Richard Verma

Haley's assignment has triggered rare cheer in the foreign office here at a time it is grappling with uncertainties over several of Trump's other policy priorities, from a clampdown on work visas to the role the US will play in the Asia Pacific.

Haley said she was "moved to accept this new assignment" because of two reasons.

"The first is a sense of duty," Haley said in a statement issued by her office around 9pm Indian time. "When the President believes you have a major contribution to make to the welfare of our nation, and to our nation's standing in the world, that is a calling that is important to heed. The second is a satisfaction with all that we have achieved in our state in the last six years and the knowledge that we are on a very strong footing."

Although not legally a part of the President's cabinet, US ambassadors to the UN don't only enjoy the same rank but also participate in cabinet meetings like other members.

Not all US Presidents have given equal importance to their UN envoys, and Trump's views on the global body are not well known.

Former UN diplomat Shashi Tharoor, who also served as junior foreign minister for India, had after Trump's election joked at a seminar that the Manhattan-based President-elect probably viewed the UN "as a piece of real estate".

Priti Patel

But Indian officials tonight suggested that the nature of Trump's choice - a career politician and serving governor who had criticised him for months during the election campaign - pointed to a carefully thought-out decision.

Within the US system, the ambassador to the UN is the second most powerful diplomat - after the secretary of state - and has the President's ears.

With Haley as ambassador to the UN - she is not expected to face much opposition during her confirmation hearings - India is expecting greater support than ever before from the US for its bid to join the Security Council permanently.

Haley had in September 2010 weathered domestic criticism to not just assert her support for India's UN Security Council bid but also to defend it.

She was then merely a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives and was running for governor. At a closed-door Chicago fund-raiser organised by an Indian-American group, Haley was reported to have backed the India-US nuclear deal and New Delhi's UN aspirations.

Both subjects were sensitive in the US at the time - America was yet to publicly endorse India's UN bid, and the debate over the nuclear deal, though approved by Congress, hadn't completely died.

But amid criticism, Haley's office put out a statement that endeared her to the Indian foreign policy establishment.

"All Nikki said was that India should be a permanent part of the UN Security Council and that the US and India are natural allies and we should work to strengthen that friendship," a campaign spokesperson for Haley said in a statement.

Her public advocacy of India-US ties citing her roots has since stood out in contrast to the only other Indian-American governor in the US, Bobby Jindal, who has often been viewed as underplaying his Indian origins.

And India has carefully cultivated ties with Haley - she has met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at least twice, officials said, including once during his September 2014 visit to New York.

Her appointment comes amid an increase in the number of Indian-Americans taking up public office, and represents yet another step in the prospect of the community and its members acting as a bridge between New Delhi and Washington. Obama had in 2014 appointed Richard Verma as the first Indian-American ambassador of the US to India.

But Trump's choice of Haley may serve as the most significant political appointment by a US administration for the furthering of bilateral ties with India, officials here argued.

India hasn't always had friendly US envoys at the UN. Just a fortnight back, New Delhi was wondering whether Trump would revive some of that past bad blood when he was reported as considering former UN ambassador John Bolton for secretary of state.

Bolton, as US ambassador to the UN, had opposed articulation of support for India's permanent membership of the Security Council.

He was the only senior member of then President George W. Bush's administration known to have opposed the India-US nuclear deal.

He had also opposed, as ambassador to the UN, Tharoor's India-backed candidature for UN secretary-general.

It is unclear if Bolton is still on Trump's shortlist for secretary of state, but Indian officials are hoping that even if he is appointed to the post, Haley could offer a counterview at cabinet meetings.