Indian Americans Pledges Support For Chivukula

[katharnak]

[img]http://www.andhraheadlines.com/%5Cg9%5Cnews%5Cme%5C100911.jpg[/img]Fords, NJ, May 22: Indian-American community leaders pledged to support the ‘Upendra Chivukula for Congress’ campaign at the Royal Albert Palace in Fords on Sunday, May 20th . A second major event is planned for June 3rd at the same location.

Congressional candidate Assemblyman Upendra J. Chivukula is challenging two-term incumbent Republican Congressional candidate Leonard Lance from New Jersey’s District 7 as the unanimous choice of the Democratic Party. He will be uncontested in the June primary.

“The Indian-American community has made great economic strides but we lack political representation in Washington. We have a historic opportunity to send an Indian-American of the caliber, experience and expertise of Upendra J. Chivukula to Congress,” said Hari Eppanapally, in his opening remarks.

Eppanapally serves as chairman & CEO of Concepts in Computing, Inc., and as overseas coordinator of Lead India 2020, an organization promoted by former Indian President Abdul J. Kalaam.

Community leaders pledged to rally behind Chivukula with three T’s – Time, Talent and Treasure.

Hart Singh, chair of the campaign’s IT Committee pointed out that Indian-Americans led the Information Technology boom in the United States and should now leverage their expertise to raise funds on-line for Chivukula.

Representatives of national Indian-American organizations attended the first major gathering of the community in support of Chivukula’s Congressional bid, in their individual capacity.

Chivukula announced that sending an Indian-American to Congress would provide effective representation for the community at the national level.

“I have been gratified to represent the Indian-American community in New Jersey and to rally your increasing engagement in the political process. Today, we are part of the fastest growing racial group in the nation and yet we do not have a single representative in the 435-member U.S. House of Representatives. Political empowerment comes through participation and representation. It is time to send an Indian-American to Congress to address our special needs, issues and concerns,” Chivukula said.

A veteran state lawmaker and experienced municipal official, Chivukula has served in the New Jersey General Assembly for 10 years and previously as mayor (2000-2001), deputy mayor (1998-1999) and councilman (1997 to 2005) of Franklin Township, Somerset County.

The only Indian-American lawmaker in the 120-member New Jersey Legislature, he has been a strong advocate for issues and concerns of the entire community.

“Take immigration for instance… When we call the offices of U.S. Senators and members of Congress on immigration matters on behalf of our constituents, we are often told that they cannot do anything and that they are waiting for comprehensive immigration reform. We’ve been waiting too long. Once I am elected, I will fight to make immigration reform a reality,” Chivukula said.

His decision to run for Congress followed a call by the Democratic Party for a viable candidate to challenge Lance, criticized for being clearly out of touch with his constituents. Peg Schaffer, Chairwoman of the Somerset County Democratic Committee approached Chivukula to run and subsequently rallied chairs of all the counties of Congressional District 7 to make him the unanimous candidate.

“He is going to need a lot of support to campaign across 565 square miles and 95 municipalities in six counties. You should be proud to know that he is held in the highest regard by Democratic leaders across the state. When I shared with the county chairs in CD7 that I thought Chivukula should run for Congress, they were very supportive and unanimous in their view that he is a credible and formidable candidate,” Schaffer said.

District 7 comprises municipalities and rural areas in Somerset, Hunterdon, Warren, Union, Essex, and Morris counties.

"The world has been off track for too long and we have seen the impact and implications of poor decisions,” declared Dr. Zenon, Vice Chair of the Somerset County Democratic Committee.

He called on Indian-American community leaders to support positive change.

“We need change in the 7th District. We need a leader who is a proven problem solver. Tonight, we must resolve ourselves to raise the funds necessary to send Upendra J. Chivukula to Congress so he can work for all of us,” he added.

An electrical engineer by profession, Chivukula has a track record as a problem solver who has worked successfully on a bipartisan basis to incentivize business, eliminate waste in government spending and reduce costs by promoting municipal shared services in a bid to lower property taxes and generate energy savings for ratepayers.

He holds several leadership positions in the Assembly. He serves as Deputy Speaker and chairs the Assembly Telecom and Utilities Committee, is vice chair of the Homeland Security and State Preparedness Committee and a member of the Transportation, Public Works and Independent Authorities Committee.

Chivukula is running for Congress on the platform of creating jobs and improving the economy. He has a successful track record of accelerating a clean energy economy in New Jersey.

“It has been my privilege to serve the people of New Jersey by working collaboratively with stakeholders to steward legislation and initiatives that have helped catapult our state to a national leader in clean energy and delivered thousands of clean jobs,” Chivukula (D-Somerset\Middlesex) said. “With your support, I can make a difference in Washington – to help end the gridlock, grow jobs and improve the national economy,” he added.

Several of Chivukula’s campaign staff were on hand at Sunday’s event.

“I am a great fan of the New York Yankees, and just like them, I have a great team with a superstar to work with in Upendra," said Joey Novick, campaign manager for ‘Upendra Chivukula for Congress.’

"I am looking forward to coaching this team to victory. Rest assured, I plan to be a pit bull and fight the tough fight, so we can win this race, and celebrate right here on election night."

Longtime supporter and campaign manager for Chivukula’s early Assembly races, was also present at the event.

“What I love about Upendra is that he has remained as pure today as when he was first elected to the Assembly. We cannot say that about too many people. He also understands the needs of business since he has extensive work experience in the private sector,” Caldwell said to an audience that included many small business owners.

Chivukula’s training as an engineer and extensive work experience in utilities and telecom prior to being elected to the Assembly has empowered him with valuable insights and expertise on business and industry. He also has emerged as the go-to lawmaker on complex technical issues as one of the few scientists in the 120-member New Jersey Legislature.

Dayci Chivukula, who is a Cuban-American, told Sunday’s crowd that there was no doubt in her mind that her husband of 30 years was going to be a Congressman.

“Once Upendra decides to do something, success is inevitable. I have never seen my husband fail in any major endeavor. I cannot think of a better man or a finer public servant to serve New Jersey in Washington,” she said.

Many Indian-Americans leaders including Dr. Sudhir Parikh, expressed their support for Chivukula. “This is a proud moment in which we are poised to send an Indian-American to Congress. When he wins, I hope he will chair the India-America Caucus and help accelerate better relations between the two nations,” Parikh said.

At 3.3 percent, Indian-Americans are the largest component of the state’s fastest growing Asian-American group which accounts for 8.3 percent of New Jersey’s nearly nine million population.

Asian Americans are also the fastest growing racial group in the U.S. with a population of 14.7 million or 4.8 percent of the total U.S. population. Another 0.9 percent reported Asian in combination with other races, taking that number up to 17.3 million or 5.6 percent of all people in the United States.

“’Seva,’ which is Sanskrit for service, of our fellow beings, is the highest calling of all and those of us who are in public office enjoy the rare privilege of being able to fulfill that mission,” Chivukula said. “Being able to make a difference in people’s lives is what inspires me every day. With your support, I look forward to serving at the national level.”