Kamala Harris to meet Narendra Modi in ‘coming of age’ moment for Indian diaspora
- They will discuss regional issues, including democracy, human rights, climate change, the Covid-19 pandemic and security
- Modi may also bring up immigration and other issues important to Indians who have moved abroad
“It does represent a ‘coming of age’ moment for the diaspora, which is now more than 4 million strong,” Milan Vaishnav, director of the South Asia Programme at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said in an email exchange.
The two spoke by phone over the summer as India suffered one of the world’s deadliest waves of Covid-19, and Harris met virtually with Modi as part of a Quad meeting in March.
Vaishnav said he expects Modi will also bring up immigration and other issues important to Indians who have moved abroad.
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Indian-Americans are one of the fastest growing political forces in the United States. Harris, whose mother was born in India, attracted donations, votes and attention from Indian-Americans during her political rise to the US Senate and the vice-presidency.
Some Indians and Indian-Americans would like to see Harris, whose father was born in Jamaica, identify more closely with her mother’s traditions.
“That’s been a running critique for Harris for a while because she does identify as a black woman and (went) to (Howard), a historically black university, and many parts of her identity, including the way her mother raised her, were ensconced in the black experience,” said Karthick Ramakrishnan, a public policy professor at the University of California, Riverside who has been tracking Indian-American public opinion since 2008.
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Ramakrishnan said he believes the meeting will be watched closely by Indian-Americans who follow foreign policy, but does not believe it will get the same level of attention in the US or India that was generated by Harris’ selection as Biden’s running mate or her swearing-in; both produced a swell of pride by Indians and Indian-Americans on Twitter and Facebook.
Harris’ relationship with India is complex.
Before she became Biden’s running mate, she criticised India’s human rights record, which includes violence and persecution of religious minorities. Those positions have led some in India to hold the mistaken belief that Harris would push harder than Biden for human rights and democratic reforms, said Vaishnav, of the Carnegie Endowment.
“Irrespective of her personal views, they are on the same page as far as government policy goes,” Vaishnav said.
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Activists plan to protest Modi’s human rights record outside the White House during Thursday’s meeting.
The Modi meeting is one of several Harris is having this week, while many world leaders are in the United States to attend the General Assembly at the United Nations’ New York headquarters.
Harris met British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who also met Biden, on Tuesday. She met the president of Zambia, Hakainde Hichilema, on Wednesday and was expected to meet the president of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, on Thursday.
She also spoke at a virtual Covid-19 summit with world leaders on Wednesday, leading a session on preparing for future pandemics.
