'The Indian Independence Day event was held a bare 10 minute drive from the Asian American Coalition dinner,' Shareef told IANS. 'Many American politicians attended both events. How can the Indian consul general, with a good conscience, attend an event hosted by the Pakistani community and skip entirely the Indian Independence Day event? He could have come for 10 minutes at least.'

Attri did not respond to a request from IANS for comment.

Meanwhile, investigations against prominent Indian American community leaders in connection with the corruption charges against Blagojevich had its impact on Independence Day festivities this year.

As some had predicted, only a handful of American politicians attended.

In the past, the parade and banquet were attended by at least a couple of US congressmen, senators or members of the Illinois Senate. Past participants in the parade have included Barack Obama, then a US senator.

Although Pat Quinn, Blagojevich's successor, who has a stellar reputation as an honest politician, attended the parade this year, the rest of the VIP guests comprised mostly local aldermen (the American equivalent of the municipal corporator).

Many community leaders rued that this was due to the image of the Indian community in Illinois as wheeler dealers. None of the Indian Americans being investigated in connection with Blagojevich scandals have been convicted or even charged of any crime. But nevertheless, the community's fall from the 'model community' could be attributed to the fact that more often than not, in politics, perception trumps reality, said community old-timers.