Becomes First Indian Parliamentarian To Be Invited
Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Member of Parliament from Pilibhit, Shri Varun Gandhi will address the Indo-American Charity Foundation (IACF), a Houston-based Indian community group, on its 21st anniversary, on September 19, 2009.
The first Indian parliamentarian to be called to this prestigious annual gala, Shri Varun Gandhi will deliver the key note address on the topic, ‘India’s Place in the New Global Order –Charity & Social Services in the Emerging Economy’ where he is expected to share his vision for a new, reinvigorated India that promises inclusive and sustainable growth.
IACF, which supports scholarships and programs in the areas of education, healthcare, children and families, invited Mr Gandhi, the youngest of the Nehru dynasty, because it felt he best represents young and new India. Ms Rachel Varghese, president IACF, said, “Seeing a vibrant, articulate speaker with an interest in doing something for the underprivileged is what the new generation of Indian Americans will relate to. Their knowledge of India is through their parents' eyes. The chance to hear something positive from a young person who will be in the forefront of India's growth as a true democracy is of great interest to the young professionals who live here.”
In his address, Varun Gandhi is expected to share his views on a young and resurgent India and talk about India’s development challenges and the importance of “economic growth through scientific development and adoption of intelligent policies”. Gandhi is also expected to recommend education, health and poverty alleviating policy guidelines in his address.
As part of the visit, Mr. Gandhi will hold a special session with leading medical professionals of the Texas Medical Centre and also make a special visit to NASA.
IACF, founded in 1988 by a group of Houstonians of Indian origin (Indo-American), is a non-profit organisation that raises funds for various humanitarian endeavours helping those in need of health, education and human services. "There's no mistaking the lure of the Gandhi name, the family generated enough interest similar to what I had seen here in US with the Kennedy family," said Varghese.
Shri Varun Gandhi is a Law & Economics graduate from the London School of Economics and a post graduate in Public Policy from the University of London. A prolific and precocious reader with excellent literary taste, he has authored his own volume of poetry besides a variety of articles on issues of National Security and External Affairs. He is firmly in favour of youth participation in nation building, believing that one must participate in the system in order to change it.
