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No ‘Indian plot' to steal American jobs: McCain

Washington: Top Republican leader John McCain has come out strongly against efforts to “demonise” India as a destination of shipping U.S. jobs, saying there was no “Indian plot to steal American jobs“.

“We cannot allow our anxieties about globalisation to cause us to demonise India for crass political gain,” Mr. McCain said at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Washington-based think tank.

“Inescapable feature”

“Outsourcing is an inescapable feature of today's global economy, not an Indian plot to steal American jobs, and we should not condone any unfair punishments of Indian workers,” Mr. McCain said hours ahead of President Barack Obama's India tour.

Outsourcing of jobs to India was one of the major election issues in the November 2 American mid-term elections.

The Republican Party gained majority in the U.S. House of Representatives as they defeated the Democratic Party of Mr. Obama, who during his entire electoral campaign repeatedly spoke against shipping U.S. jobs overseas including India and putting an end to tax breaks to such American companies.

Earlier Mr. Obama, who has recently spoken against outsourcing of American jobs to countries like India and offered tax breaks for those creating jobs in the U.S., had indicated to the PTI that he was unlikely to accommodate New Delhi's concerns, saying it was his responsibility to support jobs and opportunity for the American people.

“As President, I have a responsibility to support jobs and opportunity for the American people, and I believe the U.S.-India economic relationship can and should be a ‘win-win' relationship for both of our countries.” In his remarks on the Indo-U.S. ties at the U.S. think tank on Friday, Mr. McCain said: “On the Indian side, relations with the U.S. cannot remain a political club, which the party out of power uses to beat up the party in power for doing exactly what it would have done were it governing.” — PTI

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No ‘Indian plot' to steal American jobs: McCain

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