New York: The Indian American community in the US has welcomed the re-election of President George W Bush with several community leaders expressing the hope that it would strengthen relations in the field of trade and Defence and give a fillip to the growing strategic partnership between the two countries.

They also urged Bush to fulfil his promise of visiting India in the first year of his second term.

President of the India-America Chamber of Commerce Rajiv Khanna said with Bush's re-election, the "outdated protectionist prejudices against outsourcing" would be "permanently consigned to the dustbin of history".

Observing that former President Bill Clinton laid the foundation of "excellent relations" between India and the United States, he said, "President Bush has done a remarkable job of building on that foundation and has taken the relationship between the two countries to new heights."

Expressing the hope that Bush's re-election would lead to further strengthening of relations between the two countries in various spheres including trade and Defence, president of the Indian National Congress Surinder Malhotra said it would also give a fillip to the growing "strategic partnership".

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Bush had struck a personal chord when they met in New York in September on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session and that would help to take relations between the two countries to new heights, he added.

The debate over outsourcing, Malhotra said, would become a thing of past as mutually beneficial relations take the centre stage.

Chairman of the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) Thomas Abraham expressed the view that the relations between the two countries would be furthered strengthened during Bush's second term.

Indian Americans, he added, welcome the re-election with the confidence that the two countries would be able to work together in fighting terrorism which is priority for both the nations even as they expand cooperation in trade, Defence and other fields.

"It is great victory for President Bush and for all of us, specially Indian Americans, who believe in the cause of a freedom, democracy, war against global terrorism and a plan for a safer world," Sampat S Shivangi, Voice Chair, Indian American Republican Council and Senior Executive Vice President of the Indian American Forum for Political Education, said yesterday (Nov 3, 2004).

"I feel President Bush would be good for India and Indian Americans on many issues that concern India US relations," he said.

President Bush's promised visit to India in the first year of second term would be great boost to US-Indian relations, he said.

Hoping there will be acceleration of Indo-US relations, especially in the field of commerce and the war against terrorism, former president of the American Association of Physicians of Indian origin Navin Shah, "This will be a new beginning of the real partnership between the two democracies."