Kamala Devi Harris is a welcome pick as Joe Biden’s running mate for this November’s Presidential election in the United States. Her rise is representative of what makes America great—a land of opportunity where merit counts to such an extent that even the daughter of an immigrant Indian mother and a Jamaican father can be a strong contender to the post of Vice President, and maybe even aspire to occupy the most powerful office in the world, that of the President of the United States, in future. Her selection also speaks volumes of the importance of the Indian diaspora in the US. Hard working, educated, well mannered and more often than not, well off, Indians are a model for every immigrant group in the US, and in Kamala Harris, although she is of mixed parentage, there is a reflection of this diaspora trait. However, instead of her “Indian” origin, her “black” ancestry is likely to be the focus in the run-up to the election, for the Democrats want to energise their black voter base by promoting her as the first “black” woman aspiring to be VP. This is because the blacks did not vote for Hillary Clinton in large numbers, which resulted in her defeat to Donald Trump in the 2016 election, and Biden himself is not seen as much of a problack figure. However, as the daughter of immigrant parents and a “woman of colour”, Kamala Devi Harris tick-marks other boxes as well that will help Joe Biden counter Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric.
Amid all this, what will matter to New Delhi is how a Joe Biden-Kamala Harris combination plays out for India in case they emerge victorious in November. There is no reason to believe that Kamala Devi Harris is not a friend of India. She has spoken of her mother inculcating in her and her sister pride in their Indian heritage and culture, apart from her grandfather P.V. Gopalan being one of the most influential figures in her life. She was also apparently a regular visitor to India when young. But the question now is what will her stance be on matters such as abrogation of Article 370, the Citizenship Amendment Act and other similar issues that have been cast in an unfairly negative light by anti India forces, with the able backing of a section within India arrayed against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Moreover, the rhetoric coming from at least one of Joe Biden’s foreign policy advisers has been harsh and worrying, and in tune with the views being expressed by the extreme left, pro-Islamist fringe of the Democratic party. It has to be seen how this anti-India rhetoric gets tempered, if at all, under the influence of VP candidate Kamala Harris, and whether or not pandering to anti India sentiments among a section of Muslim voters makes the Democrats take a partisan approach to foreign policy when it comes to India, at least in the run-up to the election. Even Kamala Harris’ views on Kashmir may cause some worry to India but then the Indian government too has failed miserably in communicating its legitimate case on the issue and has allowed anti India elements to hijack the narrative. However, it must be acknowledged that there is bipartisan consensus on India’s importance in US’ scheme of things, especially as a counterweight to China in the whole Indo-Pacific region. Also, there is recognition that the partnership between US and India can be a defining feature of the 21st century. At the same time, India needs to realise that there are too many forces at work to drive a wedge between US and India and it’s time to get active on changing the narrative in its favour.