Sky is the limit for India-U.S. relations: Nikki Haley

“Sky is the limit” for U.S.-India relations, Nimrata “Nikki” Haley, the Indian American Cabinet-ranking official in the Donald Trump government, said during an event at the Indian Embassy on Jan. 30. Haley also commended Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his aggressive economic and administrative reforms.

“It is always a delight to see the sense of pride that Ambassador Haley has in her Indian roots, and the high value she attaches to the India-U.S. relationship even as she plays such a prominent role in the American political sphere,” Navtej Singh Sarna, the Indian Ambassador to the US, who hosted the event, told PTI a day later. He also called her the star of the Trump cabinet.

The event, which was held before the State of the Union speech, was attended by high-achieving Indian Americans. Haley told the gathering that the United States is also pursuing aggressive change.

It makes sense for the two democracies, having so much in common values to work together, Haley said in her remarks during the luncheon meeting. She added that she wanted the India-U.S. relations to be strong, which wasn’t the case in the last two presidencies.

“It didn’t make sense to me because when you look at the values, they’re the same. When you look at the work ethic and what they believe from a corporate standpoint — the same. When you look at the research and all the things that we do, these two democracies have so much in common,” she said.

“We’re seeing a growing interest, and a growing relationship and seeing that happen. The president is very very fond of what is happening with India, growing that relationship trying to make sure that we do more with India,” Haley said.

“I think that sky’s the limit now. We are going to continue to try and show the values of India to the United States and continue trying to show the values of the US to India,” she said. She also added that she is a proud daughter of Indian parents.

Speaking about Modi, she said, “He very much wants to streamline and do all of these reforms, that are very true for this (Trump) administration too. So I think it’s a good combination to have them (Trump- Modi) together.”

Haley, the current U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and former Governor of South Carolina, is the daughter of Indian Sikh parents who hail from Punjab’s Amritsar district. She was born in Bamberg, South Carolina.