Ajay Jain Bhutoria, the former advisor to President Biden on the Asian-American Pacific Islander (AAPI) National Leadership Council, expressed his “heartfelt thanks” to California Governor Gavin Newsom for vetoing a bill, which many claimed was ‘directed at Hindus and Indians’ in the US, and recognising Diwali as a statewide holiday. Taking to his official social media account, he shared a snap with the Democratic politician and a picture of the formal declaration announcing Newsom’s stance against the Senate Bill 509.