'Indian-American endorsing a Pakistani-American': Ro Khanna backs candidate Aisha Farooqi

US Congressman Ro Khanna has publicly backed Democratic congressional candidate Aisha Farooqi, saying, “Now you’ve got an Indian American endorsing a Pakistani American,” during a seated conversation.The exchange took place in a 58-second video shared by Farooqi, who is contesting Michigan’s 11th Congressional District. The clip was recorded during a meet-and-greet in Farmington Hills and showed the pair chatting about Bollywood films, Indian food, drinks and sport instead of politics.Opening the conversation, Farooqi pointed out the similarities between them, saying, “So you know, two things we have in common. Yeah. Three things, actually.”When Khanna asked, “Which is?” , she replied, “We’re both lawyers. Both Punjabis. Both South Asians.”Khanna also said, “And now you’ve got an Indian American endorsing a Pakistani American. Pakistani American.”Farooqi: “Look at that. Look at that. Only in America.”Khanna responded: “That’s what this country is about.”The conversation then shifted to pop culture. Farooqi asked about Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan and Khanna said, “My Name is Khan is one of my favorite movies.”The pair also compared their favourite snacks. Farooqi chose “Samosa”, and “but during Ramadan, pakora.”Khanna also said: “Paneer pakora.”When it came to drinks, Farooqi said, “I’m drinking mango lassi, but chai.”Khanna responded, “I like chai too, but the mango lassi’s not bad. Yeah, it’s very good.”Asked whether they preferred Bollywood or Hollywood, Khanna replied, “Both. I like them both. I like Hollywood. My mom made me watch too many silly Hollywood movies.”On sport, both agreed on “Basketball.”Farooqi is a Michigan-based attorney and is the Democratic candidate for Michigan’s 11th Congressional District. She was born in Aberdeen, Scotland. Farooqi holds a law degree from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and a psychology degree from the University of Michigan-Dearborn. She also serves on the Michigan Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board.

Khanna has represented California’s 17th Congressional District in the US House of Representatives since 2017. The Indian-American Democrat, who was born in Philadelphia to Indian immigrant parents, is known for his work on technology policy, manufacturing, economic issues and US-India relations. He serves on the House Armed Services Committee and has long advocated stronger ties between US and India.The endorsement comes days after Khanna said that US-India relations were at their lowest point in nearly 30 years. Speaking at the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum Leadership Summit in Washington, he blamed US President Donald Trump’s “destructive policies” for weakening trust between the two countries and called for rebuilding the bilateral relationship.