S-400 Missile Deal: America has given two good news to India simultaneously as the House of Representatives has passed the bill, after which India will no longer be banned from buying any military hardware from Russia. Also, due to this new decision, the tension in China will increase. The US had banned NATO member Turkey from buying the same missile defense system. If India has gotten this relief, then the person behind it is also an Indian.
Indian-American lawmaker Ro Khanna had proposed a historic bill to amend the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). His proposal has been approved by the American Assembly. India will now be able to stop China's aggressive stance after this decision.
Ro Khanna is a member of the US Congress from the 17th Congressional District of California. This is the third time that he is fulfilling his duties. Ro Khanna says that the most important part of this amendment is the strengthening of India-US friendship. He has called it the biggest moment since the nuclear deal between America and India.
Also Read: Tory Leadership Debate: Rishi Sunak a promising candidate, Tom Tugendhat tops; Voting on July 18
He was born on September 13, 1976, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Ro's real name is Rohit Khanna. His parents had immigrated to America from Punjab. Ro's father was a chemical engineer and passed out from IIT and then went on to reach the University of Michigan. His mother has been a school teacher. Ro's maternal grandfather played a big role in India's independence and worked with Lala Lajpat Rai. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Chicago in 1998.
However, this issue is yet to be debated in the Senate. But the separate discussion on this is enough to state that no trouble is going to come with this amendment. India signed a $5.4 billion deal for five units of the S-400 air defence system. When America banned Turkey because of this system, everyone was upset. Now Turkey is upset that if India got an exemption from sanctions, America refused to give it an F-16C fighter jet.
The amended bill was passed by voice vote on Thursday during the discussion in the House on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Khanna said, "The US should stand by India given China's increasingly aggressive stance." As Vice President of the India Caucus, I am working to strengthen the partnership between our countries and ensure that India can defend itself along the Indo-China border.