F-16 deal with Pak: "US will patch up with India"

On the sidelines of the California Democratic Convention 2016, US Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez told Rediff.com's Ritu Jha that the US will patch up with India over United States's decision to sell F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan. 

As India expressed 'displeasure and disappointment” over the United States's decision to sell F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, California Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez said the US she will patch things up with India soon on the issue.

"I am going to visit India as soon as this election gets over. We will patch things up. We will be good. We need to have a good relationship with India," Sanchez spoke to Rediff.com on the sidelines of the California Democratic Convention 2016. She is running for 2016 US senate seat from California against State Attorney General Kamala Harris.

"I have been to India many times and have worked on how we can work back and forth. I have been working very well with the Indian-American community here as well," she said.

When asked would she be opposing the deal, she said, "I have to go back to the Congress to see what's going on."

On why the US is so adamant with the deal, Sanchez, who also holds senior positions on the house armed services committee and the house homeland security committee said that the US is trying to figure out where it has friends in a very difficult world.

"Pakistan is a country that has a long problem with terrorism and the western world is against terrorism. Pakistan needs to be fixed that problem. I think there must be some condition on F-16 deal with Pakistan," she said.

Talking about India, Sanchez said that India is doing great but the country needs to move a lot of people up economically.

California Democratic Convention 2016

Sanchez, however, failed to get the endorsement and got 19.3 percent votes of the 2139 votes cast by the delegates on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Kamala Harris got 78.1 percent of the votes to win the coveted California Democratic Party endorsement for US Senate.

"I am incredibly honored to have the endorsement of the California Democratic Party in the US senate race, and I am so proud of the support," said Harris.

"We know there is more that unites us than divides us, and I am grateful to the Californians who joined together to send that message this weekend," Harris said in her statement.

"We will be making history this time," Harris told Rediff.com.

Born to an Indian mother and a Jamaican-American father, Harris said, "There hasn't been anyone of Indian heritage in the United States senate, so it is very significant."

Good day for Congressman Dr. Ami Bera

Meanwhile, it was a good day for Congressman Dr. Ami Bera, who is running from California's 7th district.

"I feel great," Bera told Rediff.com on the sidelines of the voting room, where large number of delegates traveled from his district to vote and endorse him.

He will be facing Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones, a Republican in the June 2016 primary.

"This is democracy in progress. I am going to continue to work hard to get everyone's endorsement, both Democrats and Republican support and most important the people who I represent in the district. So, winning in November is incredibly important," said Bera.

In another much talked race, Congressman Mike Honda won 80 percent vote while his opponent Ro Khanna received just less than 5 percent votes.