Tulsi Gabbard, the most powerful Hindu woman in the world, has been nominated as the new Director of the US National Intelligence, who will oversee 18 intelligence agencies.
43-year-old Tulsi, known as ‘Karma Yogi’, is the first Hindu member of the US Congress, who has no formal connection with India, but her mother converted to Hinduism.
Tulsi Gabbard’s first marriage ended in divorce in 2006, second in 2015 but she has no children.
Tulsi took the oath of office on the Bhagwat Gita in the US Parliament. She has a close relationship with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. She had termed the US visa ban on Modi during the Gujarat riots as a big mistake.
Tulsi made a 15-day visit to India at Modi’s invitation in 2014. In 2019, her campaign received donations from more than 100 people associated with the Hindu-majority movement, of which Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party is a part.
Tulsi was a part of the US Army for 20 years and deployed in Iraq, Kuwait and Africa. She left the Democratic Party in October 2022 before joining the Republican Party in 2024.
Placed on a secret terrorism watch list by the Biden administration, in 2021, Tulsi presented a resolution to the US Congress to protect the Hindu minority in Bangladesh, accusing Pakistan of harboring Osama bin Laden.
Gabbard had criticized Pakistan for the release of Hafiz Saeed.
