US presidential election: Kamala Harris' Tamil origins make Indians react

The former apartment of the maternal grandparents of US Senator Kamala Harris where she visited occasionally, in Chennai, India, August 12, 2020. REUTERS / P. Ravikumar

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Until India the choice of the running mate of the Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is reacting. Because in addition to being a woman of African origin, Kamala Harris is also of Indian origin, her mother having left the subcontinent in 1960.

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With our correspondent in Bangalore, Como Bastin

"Lotus" is the meaning of Kamala Harris' first name in Tamil language. From the state of Tamil Nadu, the uncle and aunt of Joe Biden's running mate claimed that his appointment was "  a big step" for Indians living in the United States, "  since it is about one of the highest political offices  ”.

Kamila Harris embraces her roots. In 2009, she returned to scatter her mother's ashes in the Bay of Bengal. She says her grandparents had a profound influence on her and loves idlis, a typical dish from South India.

But Kamala Harris had also expressed concern about the human rights situation in Kashmir after the revocation of the autonomy of this predominantly Muslim state. For the opposition newspaper The Print , the running mate could therefore put pressure on the ruling Hindu BJP party in the event of a Democratic victory.

On the internet, supporters of Narendra Modi, who has a good relationship with Donald Trump, are instead working to minimize his Indian ancestry. Some believe that she does not talk enough about her origins, others that her political line is against the interests of the country.

► To read also: US Presidential: Kamala Harris, a running mate with contested progressivism

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  • India
  • United States
  • USA Elections 2020
  • Kamala harris

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