By Arun Kumar
Washington, May 16 (IANS) Indian-Americans on either side of the political divide have welcomed the victory of the Congress-led United Progress Alliance (UPA) in India’s national elections as indicative of “a support for the India-US nuclear deal”.

“It is a good mandate, Indian people have spoken in support of the secular parties,” said Thomas Abraham, chairman of the Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO).

“Indirectly, the mandate is a support for the India-US nuclear deal,” he said.

“The Communists who vehemently opposed the deal have been taught a lesson. The election will usher in greater economic, trade and technology relations between India and the US.”

While supporters of the Congress who had sat up all night to watch the results pour in were jubilant, those of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were understandably disappointed.

“India has voted for UPA, for social harmony and progress,” said Surinder Malhotra, New York-based president of the Indian National Overseas Congress.

“They have voted for the clean government that Manmohan Singh provided, for the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and hard work put in by Rahul Gandhi. Results show that Indian voters are intelligent, unswayed by emotions or slogans, they see real work that the UPA government did.”

Harish Dhruv, the Los Angeles-based president of the Overseas Friends of BJP, said: “We are disappointed. The amount of hard work and efforts put by our party to educate the public in India has not shown results.”

The earlier National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government under then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee “brought development to India which was undone by the last UPA government”, he said.

In several places with large concentrations of Indians, people followed the results till the wee hours of Friday night with some groups huddling before giant TV screens.