IARC Cosponsors Historic 2010 CPAC

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010 Blog / Commentary, Press Releases by IARC

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Nina Verghese
IARC Spokeswoman

Washington, D.C. – The Indian American Republican Council issued the following statement after the successful conclusion of the 37th annual Conservative Political Action Conference.

“This historic gathering of our nation’s conservatives confirms the massive sea-change of public opinion that is occurring in our nation,” said Nina Verghese IARC spokeswoman. “We were pleased to be a part of this excitement as America’s conservatives came together in a showing of solidarity and determination to put our country back onto a path of prosperity by embracing center-right principles.”

“The number of people who visited us in the Exhibit Hall and expressed their support of Governor Bobby Jindal and told us of their high opinion of the Indian American community was simply amazing,” said IARC Board Member Suhail Khan.

The IARC became the first Indian American organization to ever cosponsor CPAC. This year’s conference drew more than 10,000 attendees, the largest ever in CPAC’s history, with more than 5,000 young conservatives attending the event. Prominent speakers included Senator Scott Brown (R-MA); Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty; Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC); House Republican Leader John Boehner; Vice President Dick Cheney; and Governor Mitt Romney.

“I can sum up my CPAC experience in one word . . . energy,” said IARC member Rajesh Bharwani, one of the highest-ranking Indian American staff members in the U.S. Congress. “With so many young people in attendance it is only natural that the convention reverberated with excitement and a feeling that we can truly make a difference.”

IARC Member Ketan Poladia noted, “It was my first time attending an event of this size. I was astounded by the crowd turnout and their spirit. I was treated and felt like I was a family member. To sum it up, the atmosphere was truly electrifying, with the crowd, the speakers and the events making this a truly memorable CPAC.”

IARC Chairman Dino Teppara also became the first Indian American leader to ever address CPAC, speaking to an audience of more than 4,000 people in a nationally televised speech shown on C-SPAN. He spoke in opposition to illegal immigration and the pending amnesty proposal in Congress. Teppara is the only Indian American to ever serve as Chief of Staff and Counsel to a Member of Congress and will receive an Officer Commission later this year, making him the only Indian American Public Affairs Officer in the United States Navy. You can view his six-minute speech and the immigration panel on Ustream here or by fast-forwarding to 3 hours and 48 minutes on this C-SPAN video link.

IARC Chairman Dino Teppara addressing an audience of more than 4,000 people at CPAC
(c) 2010 Kumar Singla

IARC Member Lynne Ozinga-White stated, “I really enjoyed CPAC this year. I was very happy to be an important part of a wonderful outreach effort. I am very encouraged for the future of our movement and the success our center-right coalition is experiencing.”

Nearly 20 IARC members and supporters joined the organization at CPAC as volunteers, handing out leaflets and meeting hundreds of conservatives at the IARC booth in the CPAC exhibit hall.

L-R, Back Row: Christine Sequenzia, Suhail Khan, Lynne Ozinga-White, Mihir Pathak, Ketan Poladia, Dave Wallace, Finney Varghese
L-R, Front Row: Ginny Sessions, Ruth Malhotra, Aarti Shah, Songeeta Guha Biswas, Dino Teppara
Other volunteers not pictured: Rajesh Bharwani, Neil Chatterjee, Cheryl and Mark Rhoads, Rohun Khanna and Kumar Singla