NRI entrepreneur, Sant Chatwal target to raise five million US$ for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign

New York, April 13, 2007,
Shingara Singh

NRI Sant Singh Chatwal, hotelier and founder 'Indian American for Hillary 2008 (IAFH), announced to raise at least USD five million for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. He said more than 1000 guests, including steel baron Lakshmi Mittal and leading NRI businessman SP Hinduja, were expected to attend the fund-raiser dinner on June 24.

NRI entrepreneur Sant Singh Chatwal is now planning to pump in Rs 1,000 crore in India to set up a chain of boutique hotels under his Dream Hotel brand. Dream Hotel is part of his $750-million Hamshire Hotels & Resorts chain, which has a presence in the US, Canada and UK.

Sant Chatwal is one of the most influential Indians in Manhattan, New York and known to be close to the Clintons, said, "If there was ever a time for the NRI (Indian-American community) to mobilise, the time is now. She is the only candidate who has continuously supported India, contributed to improvement of Indo-US relations and championed the causes of the Indian-American community."

Former President Bill Clinton and Hillary have a special place for India in their hearts, he said. He also referred to the contribution the former US President had made to the relief efforts after the devastating earthquake in Gujarat.

In September 5, 2005, The former US President Bill Clinton along with NRI Sant Chhatwal hoteliers were in India to inaugurate the State Rural Health Mission. He discussed the health situation in India, especially the spread of HIV/AIDS. Clinton appreciated the Indian government's efforts in creating awareness and providing AIDS patients with anti-retroviral treatment

He told CNBC, "Most probably, in the middle of August or third week of August, we want a Bollywood show, likely to be attended by Bollywood stars Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai where we’ll have 22,000 Indians in the Nassau Coliseum. So, we can show that Bollywood stars also love Indian-Americans and want to join this programme, so they can really participate, enjoy and still help Hillary Clinton."

He told community leaders who attended the function that Hillary's support to the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal and her frequent visits to India as examples of her "unwavering loyalty and dedication" to Indians nationwide and globally.

A New York Democrat, US Congressman Joseph Crowley, is a co-sponsor of a Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill introduced in the House of Representatives last month. The legislation also seeks to increase the quota for H1B visas from 65,000, which ran out just a day after they opened this year. So, is it time to increase the quota or abolish the ceiling altogether as demanded by many IT sector giants?

Joseph Crowley says, "In the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill introduced in the House two-and-a-half weeks ago, the issue of increasing the quota of H1Bs are addressed in that bill." He also says, "This has got a lot of support in the IT industry, it’s not just about taking jobs from Americans, it’s about filling jobs, Americans can’t fill right now."

Hillary Clinton with Sant Singh Chatwal

Mrs. Chatwal and Hillary Clinton

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