House India Caucus members drops to 110 from 186

The number of members of the US Congressional Caucus on India has registered a sharp drop from a high of 186 in 2005 to about 110 in 2013, though the bilateral ties has seen an upward trajectory in all fields. In the current 113th Congress which came into being this January, Congressional aides said there are only a little over 110 lawmakers members of the Congressional Caucus of India and Indian Americans; which had 135 members in the 112th Congress. A record 186 Congressmen were members of Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans in the 108th Congress (2003-2005). Republican Congressman from Illinois Peter Roskam was yesterday selected as its co-chair for the 113th Congress, while Joe Crowley from New York would continue to be its co-chair from Democratic Party. "Our countries are linked through our common interest in the democratic process, global security and international prosperity. In my meetings back home with the large Indian- American community in my district, there's always a natural connection between their entrepreneurial spirit and our shared values. This caucus has the opportunity to further these priorities and I�m proud to be part of that effort," Roskam said in a statement. Roskam replaces Congressman Ed Royce as Co-Chair of the Congressional India Caucus. "The Caucus is in good hands with Reps. Roskam and Crowley, long-time advocates of close US-India ties," said Royce, who is now Chairman of the powerful House Foreign Affairs Committee. "I will continue to work to strengthen relations between the United States and India," he said. Established in 1994, the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans serves as a forum in which Members of Congress may address the concerns vital to this important South Asian nation. The Senate India Caucus � the only country specific caucus in the US Senate � which was established in 2004 with Senator John Cornyn and the then Senator Hillary Clinton as its co-chairs has 34 members Senators in the current 113 Congress. In the previous 112th Congress there were 37 members. While Senator Inouye from Hawaii died, three other Senators Jeff Bingaman (New Mexico), Bailey Hutchison (Texas) and Joe Lieberman (Connecticut) retired. Senator Mark Warner, who is now the Democratic Co-Chair of the Senate India Caucus, has said that he has set a target of increasing the strength to 60 members.