Subramanyam, 1st Indian-American Congressman from Virginia, makes history by taking oath on Gita

Washington: Congressman Suhash Subramanyam, who is the first Indian American Congressman from the East Coast, took an oath of office on Gita, making him the only lawmaker from the community to do so on the holy Hindu book this year.

Subramanyam’s mother, who immigrated through Dulles Airport, watched her son being sworn in on the Bhagavad Gita.

Tulsi Gabbard, 43, the first Hindu American to be ever elected to the US House of Representatives, was the first lawmaker to take the oath on Gita. She was first sworn in on January 3, 2013, representing the second Congressional District of Hawaii as a member of the House of Representatives.

Gabbard, who converted to Hinduism as a teenager, is now a nominee for the powerful position of Director of National Intelligence.

“My parents got to see me sworn in as the first Indian American and South Asian Congressman from Virginia,” Subramanyam said in a statement after his swearing-in.

“If you had told my mother when she landed in Dulles Airport from India that her son would go on to represent Virginia in the United States Congress, she might have not believed you, but my story is the kind of promise that America holds. I am honoured to be the first, but not the last, as I represent Virginia’s 10th in Congress,” he said.

The 119th Congress has four Hindu lawmakers. The other three are Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ro Khanna and Shri Thanedar. Hindus and Muslims are a distant third largest religious group in the US Congress. Christians with 461 members constitute the largest religious group followed by Jews with 32 members. There are three Buddhist members as well.