Congressman Frank Pallone, India's staunch ally at Capitol Hill, the power centre of the US, introduced a bill supporting India's bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.
Pallone, the founder and former co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, introduced the bill in the form of a 'Sense of Congress'.
If the bill musters sufficient sponsors and is taken up for a vote by the House, it will put the US House of Representatives officially on record in support of India's bid and a similar symbolic resolution could be passed in the Senate. That could nudge the Bush administration to take a stand on the issue.
But there is no guarantee that a similar bill will be introduced in the Senate.
Though New Delhi has got the endorsement from virtually all other UN Security Council members, the Bush administration has so far not supported its claim for a permanent seat.
"At a time when international relations are being redefined, we should acknowledge the relations with those nations that share our enduring core values. Any reform of the Security Council must lead to a permanent membership for India," Pallone said, while introducing the bill.
He said it is in 'our national interest and, indeed, our responsibility to ensure that this happens'.
Pallone also expressed concern that the Security Council still reflects the world as it was in 1942, when the United Nations was created. "Despite the fact that the UN has grown from 51 member-nations during its inception to more than 200 now, the Security Council has not grown to reflect these dramatic changes," he said.
"The Security Council's unwillingness to expand and evolve with time has hindered the Council's ability to tackle threats to international peace and security," he added.
Pallone said it is in the interest of the United States and the world to have a UN Security Council whose members combine their military strength with respect for democracy and pluralism. Such a council would appreciate the dangers posed by rogue states and terrorist elites.
"India, which has long been a victim of terrorism, was the first to offer its services to the United States' war on terrorism in Afghanistan. It was also one of the first to embrace the US ballistic missile program. Further, India is a growing economic power that has become an indispensable trading partner with the US," Pallone said.