New York: More than 22 senators have agreed to join bipartisan Friends of India Caucus in the 100-member powerful US Senate, which will be formally launched on April 29 to promote Indian interests in the Government.

Republican Senator John Cornyn and Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton will co-chair the Caucus, president of American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) Sharad Lakhanpal has said.

The launch would make history as this would be first time that country-specific caucus has been formed in the Senate, Lakhanpal said in a letter to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee informing him of the senators' decision.

Besides, he said the Indian Caucus in the Congress has grown to a membership of 184, thus making it the largest Caucus.

AAPI with a countrywide membership of over 50,000 doctors is considered one of the most powerful and influential Indian-American organisations.

Replying to questions, he said AAPI along with several other Indian American organisations has vigorously taken by the task of lobbying on behalf of the country because of Prime Minister's "serious and sincere" effort to involve non-resident Indians (NRIs) in the country's development.

That was the reason the Prime Minister thought of appointing Ambassador B K Agnihotri solely to interact with the NRIs, he added.