Open new consulates, appeals Overseas BJP to PM

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Group)>vaidika1008 (AT) hotmail (DOT) com>[bJP News] Open new consulates,

appeals Overseas BJP to PM>Sat, 16 Jul 2005 05:13:34 -0700>>Open new

consulates, appeals Overseas BJP to PM>Lalit K Jha

(HindustanTimes.com)>Hindustan Times>Minneapolis, July 16, 2005>>While the

large desi communities is gearing up to welcome and felicitate the>Prime

Minister, Manmohan Singh, on his first official trip to the US next week,>the

Overseas Friends of the BJP in United States (OFBJP-US) has decided to>present

him a memorandum with a set of demands for the NRIs in this country.>>Topping

the list of demands to be submitted before the Prime Minister when he>arrives

in Washington on July 17 include opening new consulates in the U.S.,>connecting

more U.S. cities with that of India by Air India, a toll free number>for the

NRIs so that they can call up the Indian Embassy with their grievances>and seek

help in need of help and more visa camps across the country.>>"Not much has been

done fore the NRI, especially in the United States, ever>since this Government

came to power. The memorandum is our first step to knock>at the door of this

Government," the OFBJP president, Chandra Kant Patel, told>HindustanTimes.com,

before leaving for India early this week on an urgent party>work.>>The

memorandum, highlighting the problems faced by the NRI community in the

U.S.>along with a set of demands would be submitted to the Prime Minister by

senior>party leaders, he said.>>Patel said there was an urgent need to connect

more U.S. cities by Air India,>the national carrier, as over the years the desi

population has spread over to>other large cities besides the traditional New

York, Washington and Chicago.>>"Based on the concentration of population in the

United States, we would urge>the Prime Minister to prevail upon Air India to

start its commercial operations>to cities like Houston, Dallas, Orlando, Tampa,

Detroit and Boston," he said,>adding that there was also need to increase the

frequency in existing cities of>New York and Chicago.>>Stating that the number

of Indians in the U.S. has jumped considerably over the>past two decade as a

result of which the existing five Consulates which were>established several

decades ago, are not able to meet the increasing needs of>the Diaspora, the

memorandum, he said, would urge the Prime Minister to open>consulates in

Florida (Tampa or Orlando), Michigan (Detroit), Washington>(Seattle) and

Arizona (Phoenix).>>"Till the time new consulates are opened, we urge the Prime

Minister to increase>the staff of the existing ones so as to meet the needs of

the people," he>said.>>Opening up of a toll-free number, working round the

clock all seven days a week,>would help the NRIs community spread in every nook

and corner of the country,>to reach out to the Embassy anytime, Patel

said.>>Giving an indication of the things to come, the memorandum, Patel said,

would>demand the removal of the NRI Minister, Jagdish Tytler. "If he is not

removed,>we would launch a campaign against him," he said.>>"This is primarily

because of his involvement in the anti-Sikh riots in India in>1984. We do not

wanted to be represented by a person who has been responsible>for killing

Sikhs," he alleged. The allegations, however, have been refuted by>Tytler in

the past.>>Secondly, he said: "Tytler does not seem to be bothered about the

welfare of the>NRIs in the U.S. After becoming the Minister, he has not come

even once,"

he>alleged.>>>>------------------------------->This

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