US President Donald Trump Celebrates Diwali at White House, amidst US-FCC Chairman Ajith Pai
US President Donald Trump Celebrates Diwali at White House, amidst United States Federal Communications Commission (US-FCC) Chairman Ajit Varadaraj Pai, having Konkani roots in India. His mother grew up in Bengaluru, and father was raised in Hyderabad. While addressing the gathering during the Diwali ceremony, Trump mentioned Ajith Pai’s name First, and was proud to have Pai in his administration.
Washington : US President Donald Trump on Sunday celebrated Diwali, the festival of lights, at White House in Washington. Trump also tweeted a video of him lighting diyas and said, “As Diwali commences, Melania and I wish those observing the Festival of Lights a blessed and happy celebration! Happy Diwali.” In an official statement, Trump said, “For many Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and Buddhists in the United States and around the globe, this sacred period is an opportunity to commemorate the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.”
The statement further said, “Throughout this Holy time, members of these faiths engage in prayer, light diyas and lanterns, and partake in traditional feasts and other festivities with friends and family.” Trump in the statement said that the observance of Diwali throughout America was an important reminder of the “significance of one of our Nation’s core tenets religious liberty”.
“My Administration will continue to defend the rights enshrined in our Constitution that enable people of all faiths to worship according to their beliefs and conscience,” Trump said. “We pray that this year’s observance brings love, joy, and eternal peace,” Trump added.
ABOUT AJITH VARADARAJ PAI :
Ajit Varadaraj Pai, born on January 10, 1973, in Buffalo, New York, and grew up in Parsons, Kansas. His parents are Konkani immigrants from India: Varadaraj Pai, a urologist, and Ms Radha Pai, an anesthesiologist. Both of his parents moved to the US in 1971 and were physicians at the county hospital. Ajith Pai is an American lawyer who serves as the Chairman of the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC). He is the first Indian American to hold the office. He has served in various positions at the FCC since being appointed to the commission by President Barack Obama in May 2012, at the recommendation of Mitch McConnell. He was confirmed unanimously by the United States Senate on May 7, 2012, and was sworn in on May 14, 2012, for a five-year term.
In January 2017, newly inaugurated president Donald Trump designated Pai as FCC Chairman. In March 2017, Trump announced that he would renominate Pai to serve another five-year term (remaining Chairman of the FCC). Pai was confirmed by the U.S. Senate for an additional five-year term on October 2, 2017. Before his appointment to the FCC, Pai held positions with the Department of Justice, the United States Senate, the FCC’s Office of General Counsel, and Verizon Communications. Pai is a proponent of repealing net neutrality in the United States and, on December 14, 2017, voted with the majority of the FCC to reverse the decision to regulate the internet under Title II of the Communications Act of 1934.
Pai attended his local high school, Parsons Senior High School, and graduated in 1990. He then went to Harvard University where he participated in the Harvard Speech and Parliamentary Debate Society. Pai graduated from Harvard in 1994 with an A.B. with honors in social studies. He then went to the University of Chicago Law School, where he was an editor of the University of Chicago Law Review and won the Thomas J. Mulroy Prize. He graduated with a J.D. in 1997.
Inputs from India Today
