Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is an active Twitter user and usually quick to highlight successes of the Indian diaspora preferred to maintain passive silence. But his party’s general secretary and a cadre of RSS, Ram Madhav could not conceal his happiness and praised her. "First Indian and Asian woman to get the nomination as official VP candidate. Triumph of diversity and democracy. Thumbs up". Yet another politician who praised her was Shashi Tharoor of the Congress,

What has indeed been shocking is the venom spit by some BJP leaders and supporters. Their criticism primarily owes to her anti-Modi stand. She has been highly critical of Modi’s policies especially his stand on human rights These people noted the dichotomy of her racial and caste identity; “Her one side represents African Americans who were at the receiving end of oppression…Her other side, she represents Hindu Brahmins who were the oppressors in the Indian caste system.” Other’s pointed to a 2003 profile of Harris where her mother had said, “We are Brahmins, that is the top caste. Please do not confuse this with class, which is only about money. For Brahmins, the bloodline is the most important.”

In an interview in 2015 for the Los Angeles Times, Harris had noted her appreciation for her dual heritage, saying: “My Indian mother knew she was raising two black daughters. But that’s not to the exclusion of who I am in terms of my Indian heritage.”

As Modi desperately strived to establish a close relationship with Trump, Harris had noted that the United States was “watching” potential human rights abuses in India’s conflict-ridden region of Kashmir.

Harris is the first Indian-American woman to become a Senator, the first Indian-American woman to become a San Francisco district attorney, and the first Indian-American woman to become California’s attorney general.

News outlets had frequently compared Kamala Harris to Barack Obama, long before she decided to run for president. Both share multi-racial backgrounds, are young senators, and good orators. Some however, have criticised the title of “Female Barack Obama” in describing Senator Harris’ beliefs and personal accomplishments.

Senator Harris has spoken up on immigration reform and the rapid rise of hate crimes against South Asians, issues that affect the Indian community. Since 2016, there has been a 45 percent rise in hate crimes against South Asians according to a report by South Asian Americans Living Together (SAALT).

Harris, 55, was an ardent critic of Biden in her bid for nomination as the Democratic Party’s president. For the Indian immigrant community Harris’s candidature prises open spaces in politics and public affairs.

Harris’s nomination underlines that India’s domestic politics has become a factor for the Indian-American voter in 2020. Only a couple of months back Modi had urged the American voters to ensure the victory of his friend Donald Trump. This was for the first time a leader of any other country had sought vote in American election. The 2020 presidential elections will be of crucial importance for Modi. It would not be an exaggeration to say victory of Donald will ensure safety of Modi’s future politics. Trump and Modi had appeared at rallies together, bolstering each other politically. At the “Howdy, Modi” event in Houston, Modi gave a clear call to the community to support Trump by repeating the old slogan Ab ki baar, Trump Sarkar.

Pragmatism defines the course of the politics and no one knows what stand Kamala Harris will pursue once she is elected as the vice president along with his leader Joe Biden who is Democrat’s presidential candidates.

Joe Biden’s selection of Senator Kamala Harris to be his running mate is historic. She represents the America of tomorrow, one more racially and ethnically mixed. By 2045, the US is expected to be a “minority-majority” country with the white population falling below 50%. The Democratic Party is thinking ahead as the landscape and politics of the country change. India might also ponder the ramifications of these profound changes and their impact on the US foreign policy.

Both Republicans and Democrats are wooing the Indian community harder this time around. The reaction to Modi’s policies has become a litmus test of sorts for some Indian-Americans. They cannot forget that it was a Republican president, George W Bush, who banned Modi from visiting the US in 2005 on account of the Gujarat riots.

The reason for Modi becoming a friend of Trump has been Democratic Party moving close to leftists and progressives and taking to “India bashing”. Question began ever since Biden published his “Agenda for Muslim American Communities” where he criticised Indian actions in Kashmir and CAA.

Many point to Trump’s open embrace of Modi’s India as a key factor in considering a shift to the Democratic side. The nomination of Harris will cause some to rethink it’s hard to abandon the Democratic ship when it is being captained by an Indian-American. It is perceived that Harris would split the Indian vote between those who lean toward her Indian heritage and those who like a clear pro-India stance of Trump.

It is astonishing to watch that younger Indian community leaders are clearly excited about Harris. Neil Makhija, executive director of IMPACT, an organisation aimed at recruiting and funding Indian American candidates, called Harris’ nomination an “extraordinary moment in history.” The community is so inspired “we are going to organise, make phone calls and vote to get her into office.”

Shekar Narasimhan, chairman of the Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) Victory Fund, an organisation working to get more Asian Americans elected, called it a “seismic change in American politics.” Narasimhan said; “the community is “fired up and ready to vote for Biden-Harris.”
(IPA Service)