That the common Punjabi’s aspirations often involve the idea of flying abroad to greener pastures is no secret. So it makes eminent sense to, the BJP candidate, is not disappointing either. His friend, India’s foreign minister , went to Amritsar to escort him as he filed his nomination papers on May 10. What’s more, he endorsed one of Sandhu’s commitments: of a US consulate being set up in the city. It may be a decision for Washington DC to make, but as Jaishankar said, “Americans have to open two more consulates in India. You have a good advocate to build your case.” Sandhu was beaming sitting next to him. Sandhu is also a local, unlike past star candidates the BJP has fielded here—Arun Jaitley in 2014 and Sandhu’s senior in the IFS, Hardeep Puri, in 2019. So he is also sharing ideas with local businesses and farmers on how to sell their produce—juttis, shawls, phulkaris, Amritsar’s famous pappad and wadi, or fruits and vegetables—at megastores in the US and Europe or in lucrative West Asian markets. His wife Reenat Sandhu is presently ambassador at the Netherlands. And he flaunts his friendship with global CEOs, so that’s a possible window to bring in corporations to invest here.
