Bush's got India under his bed!

New Delhi: Indo-US relations may have touched a new high and President Bush may be raving about everything Indian - be it the hospitality, the grand welcome or even the famed Indian mangoes.

Purr...amid the diplomatic bonhomie, here’s another thought which might just not go down too well with those raving about the continental camaraderie.

Not many know that in the plush environs of White House, Bush actually fondles India, takes care of her daily dietary requirement and sees to it that she gets all the comforts of being President’s pet…Confused?

Well, George Bush’s favourite pet cat is called India. And he apparently loves her so much that when a journalist asked him if he knew where India was, he almost replied “under my bed”!

India "Willie" Bush, as the pet is called, has been a beloved member of the Bush family for more than 10 years.

Though the family says she was named after the former Texas Ranger baseball player, Ruben Sierra, who was called 'El Indio', it goes without saying that if at all Bush is obsessed with 'India', make no mistake it's just a misnomer for the pet.

Currently India lives with the Bush family in the Presidential mansion and loves to nap under Mr President’s bed. Her favorite food is Tuna-flavored kitty treats.

PAGE_BREAK

Her biography page on the White House website proudly declare her interests: My pals, Spotty and Barney, love the outdoors, but I prefer to stay inside and visit the White House library. Do you like to read? I hope so. My favorite book is "If You Take a Mouse to the Movies" by Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond. Mrs. Bush read this book to children at the White House during the holidays.

In fact, there have been occasions when the real India has collectively expressed outrage against this phenomenon.

In Kerala, there have been instances of burning of effigies of President Bush, not because they are anti-American but because he has named his cat India.

Members of the Prathikarana Vedi once assembled before the Kerala Assembly saying that Bush calling his cat India was an insult to the country.

"This is a disgrace to our great country and this has come from none other than US President George Bush. This is nothing but an insult to India because there are hundreds of thousands of Indians in the US, and many who occupy key posts in the White House," said the president of the group.