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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.
A former policy advisor to ex-president Barack Obama, he has served in the Virginia General Assembly since first getting elected in 2019. In Richmond, Subramanyam founded the bipartisan “Commonwealth Caucus” – a bipartisan group of legislators focused on finding common ground.
He passed landmark legislation to lower toll costs for commuters, issue refunds to overcharged consumers, combat the rise in gun violence, and ensure all students have access to top-notch education.
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.
According to Pew Research, Christians make up 87 per cent of voting members in the Senate and House of Representatives combined in the 2025-27 congressional session. That’s down from 88 per cent in the last session and 92 per cent a decade ago.
Meanwhile, Indian American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi read a passage from the sacred Bhagavad Gita at the Bipartisan Interfaith Prayer Service on the first day of the 119th Congress.
The purpose of the bipartisan service on January 3 was to bless the new Congress before it is officially constituted for another two-year term.
Krishnamoorthi, 51, was sworn in as a member of the US House of Representatives for the fifth consecutive term on January 3. He represents the 8th Congressional District of Illinois.
“Years ago, Hindu Americans were not included at prayer services in our nation’s capital,” said Krishnamoorthi, who was the only speaker to represent the Hindu faith. Other speakers at the widely attended service included Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
“I’m grateful that we now have a seat at the table and that I can play a part in spreading the beautiful blessings of the Hindu faith to my colleagues, both Republican and Democrat. Together we prayed for peace and prosperity, and in doing so are better equipped to tackle our nation’s toughest challenges ahead,” he said,
Thereafter, Krishnamoorthi read a passage from Bhagavad Gita.
It said, “The Supreme Lord said: In all activities just depend upon Me and work always under My protection. In such devotional service, be fully conscious of Me. If you become conscious of Me, you will pass over all the obstacles of conditional life by My grace. If, however, you do not work in such consciousness but act through false ego, not hearing Me, you will be lost.”
