Democratic Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi has recently made headlines twice, first for hitting back at a Florida city councilman who told him to “take your curry and go home”, and more recently for standing apart from fellow Indian-American lawmakers in the US House of Representatives by voting in favour of a Bill proposing sanctions against Russia.

Only Indian-American House Member To Back Russia sanctions

According to reports, Krishnamoorthi was the only Indian-American member of the House to back the legislation, while the other five Indian-American lawmakers (all Democrats) voted against it. The Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning of Russia and Iran Act was passed by the House (262-159) on Thursday. The bill also proposes 100 per cent tariffs on the top five buyers of Russian oil and gas, a move that is likely to affect countries such as India and China.

Notably, all six Indian-American members of the House are Democrats. While Krishnamoorthi voted for the Bill, Ro Khanna, Pramila Jayapal, Ami Bera, Shri Thanedar and Suhas Subramanyam voted against it. Ahead of the vote, Krishnamoorthi had met members of the Illinois Ukraine Action group. In a post on X, he said the people of Ukraine were continuing to fight for their freedom and sovereignty and that the United States should stand with them.

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Krishnamoorthi Hits Back At 'Curry' Remark

A few days back, he had responded to Palm Bay City Councilman Chandler Langevin’s remarks who had told him, “Take your curry and go home.” The Illinois Democrat reposted the comment on X and replied that America is his home and that no one has the right to decide who is American or who belongs in the country. He later added a lighter response, writing: “My apologies to naan for not giving it the recognition it deserves.”

Who Is Raja Krishnamoorthi?

Subramanian Raja Krishnamoorthi is a Democratic politician and attorney who has represented Illinois's 8th congressional district in the US House of Representatives since 2017. Born in New Delhi in 1973, Krishnamoorthi was raised in Peoria, Illinois. His family moved to Buffalo, New York, when he was just three months old.

He comes from a Tamil Hindu family and served as a special assistant attorney general before entering Congress. He was first elected to the House in 2016. Krishnamoorthi was closely involved in Donald Trump's impeachment proceedings as a member of the Intelligence Committee. He is set to retire from the House of Representatives in January next year.

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