Indian-Americans show support for Manhattan District Attorney Candidate Dan Quart

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Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, D-NY, hosted a reception June 13, 2021, in support of Dan Quart who is running for Manhattan District Attorney, and seeking the endorsement of the Democratic Party in the June 22 primary.

The event, which was held at the Rooftop At The Paul, was attended by a number of Indian Americans who showed their support for Quart’s candidacy, among them Padma Shri Dr. Sudhir Parikh, chairman of Parikh Wordwide Media and ITV Gold. The ITV Gold network covered the event.

Speaking at the event, Quart expressed his appreciation for the Indian American community and those present to support him. He said one of the priorities of his agenda was to lead the fight to change post-conviction rules and the need to change legislation relating to reviewing wrongful convictions.

Wrongful convictions, Quart said, were inexcusable because they not only victimized the person convicted and his family and loved ones, but it also left the real criminal out in the community, possibly to commit another crime.

Quart has launched his TV ad campaign June 12, as early voting started he said. The cost of one week of television ads was anywhere from $55,000 to $70,000.

The date of the campaign event coincided with Quart’s birthday, and a cake was cut and a birthday song sung for the occasion.

Dr. Parikh in his interaction with Quart, expressed the support of the Indian-American community for his candidacy. “I want to reiterate the Indian community’s support for you. … We will promote you and make sure you are our winning person,” Dr. Parikh said, also giving the details of his publishing house and television station.

Quart is a New York State Assembly Member representing Manhattan’s East Side and one of New York City’s top pro-bono attorneys, according to his campaign website. A Washington Heights native, Quart grew up in subsidized housing with his working-class parents. A graduate of SUNY Binghamton and St. John’s School of Law, Quart defended tenants’ rights and public lands as a pro bono attorney. Volunteering with the Legal Aid Society, he represented rent controlled and stabilized tenants who were facing eviction by unscrupulous developers. He has also served as an 18-b criminal defense attorney.

Congresswoman Maloney said Quart would make a “magnificent” District Attorney because of his skills and experience. She also spoke about her support for India and the Indian American community, recalling the successful Diwali Stamp campaign. She said the stamp “was one of the highest selling stamps in the country.”

Maloney is running for re-election went on to speak about her support for sending vaccines to India. She also said she was working on bestowing the Congressional Medal of Honor on Mahatma Gandhi, noting that two others who considered Gandhi their mentor, Rev. Martin Luther King and South African leader Nelson Mandela had already been awarded the same medal. Gandhi, she said, “deserves the medal not only for his role in India but in the world. … It is long overdue.”

Several other supporters of Quart also spoke at the event, among them Dr. Sumita Sengupta, Mohan Ahluwalia, incharge of Food and Beverages at Paul’s Hotel, Pallavi Jain, and Taran Birkaur.