Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Taranjit Singh Sandhu, India’s former ambassador to the United States, on Saturday expressed “great satisfaction and happiness” after US President Donald Trump congratulated him on his appointment as Delhi’s lieutenant governor and lauded his “deep commitment” to strengthening bilateral ties.Also Read | ‘Seasoned diplomat’: Trump congratulates former envoy to US Taranjit Sandhu on Delhi LG appointmentSandhu was appointed Delhi’s lieutenant governor in March. He served as India’s envoy in Washington from February 2020 to March 2024. After retiring, he contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from the Amritsar constituency on the ruling BJP’s ticket, but lost.“The relationship between the United States and India is in the national interests of both countries. The prime minister’s (Narendra Modi) thinking is very clear—he has outlined it many times. I was simply doing my job. It is certainly a matter of satisfaction and happiness that President Trump, in his post, acknowledged that,” the former diplomat told reporters when asked about Trump’s Truth Social message.He added, “But I would also like to mention that President Biden has spoken about the good work as well. Under the prime minister’s guidance, we were able to transform the relationship into a partnership.”Trump was US president when Sandhu was appointed India’s ambassador to Washington, but he lost the November 2020 election to Joe Biden. The Republican returned to the White House after defeating then-Vice President Kamala Harris in November 2024, following Biden’s decision not to seek a second term.On Friday, Trump posted on Truth Social: “Congratulations to Taranjit Sandhu on becoming the new Lt Governor of Delhi! As a seasoned Diplomat and former Ambassador to the United States, he has always shown deep commitment to strengthening the U.S.-India relationship. Wishing him success in leading Delhi’s progress, and furthering global ties!”Sandhu was succeeded in Washington by Vinay Mohan Kwatra, the current envoy. In Delhi, he took over from Vinai Kumar Saxena, who was appointed lieutenant governor of Ladakh.
