Congressman Suhash Subramanyam, the first Indian-American representative from the East Coast, took the oath of office on the Bhagavad Gita, making him potentially the only lawmaker to do so on the revered Hindu scripture.
Subramanyam’s mother, who emigrated to the US through Dulles Airport, was present to witness her son’s swearing-in on the Gita.
Tulsi Gabbard, who was the first Hindu-American elected to the US House of Representatives, also took her oath on the Gita when she was sworn in on January 3, 2013, as the representative for Hawaii’s second congressional district.
Gabbard, who converted to Hinduism as a teenager, is now a nominee for the influential position of Director of National Intelligence.
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“My parents got to see me sworn in as the first Indian-American and South Asian Congressman from Virginia,” Subramanyam said in a statement following the ceremony.
“If you had told my mother when she landed in Dulles Airport from India that her son would go on to represent Virginia in the United States Congress, she might have found it hard to believe. But my story is a testament to the promise America holds. I am proud to be the first, but certainly not the last, to represent Virginia’s 10th District,” he added.
A former policy advisor to President Barack Obama, Subramanyam has been serving in the Virginia General Assembly since 2019. In Richmond, he founded the bipartisan "Commonwealth Caucus", a group dedicated to finding common ground among legislators.
He has championed landmark legislation to reduce tolls for commuters, provide refunds to consumers who were overcharged, tackle rising gun violence, and ensure all students have access to high-quality education.
The 119th Congress has four Hindu lawmakers
There are currently four Hindu lawmakers in the 119th Congress, including Subramanyam, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ro Khanna, and Shri Thanedar.
Hindus and Muslims represent the third-largest religious group in the US Congress, following Christians, who number 461, and Jews, who have 32 members. Three members of Congress are Buddhists.
According to Pew Research, Christians make up 87 per cent of voting members in both the Senate and House of Representatives for the 2025-27 Congressional session, a slight decline from 88 per cent in the previous session and 92 per cent a decade ago.
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