United States Vice-President Kamala Harris meeting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday was deemed as a ‘coming of age’ moment for the Indian diaspora, a prominent US newspaper said.
Harris, 56, is the first-ever Indian American to be elected as the vice president of the United States. She met PM Modi in the White House, making history as the highest-ranking Indian-American to welcome the leader of a country that is becoming one of America’s most important allies, The Los Angeles Times newspaper said.
Harris spoke to Modi over the phone on June 3. This was their first-ever in-person meeting, for which an hour was scheduled, the Times of India reported.
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PM Modi has been reaching out to the Indian diaspora like never before. Moreover, he actively communicates with Indian-origin people all over the world whenever he gets a chance. US President Joe Biden has also been enjoying the support of the Indian diaspora, as he incorporated many Indian-origin politicians in his cabinet.
“It (Modi-Harris meeting) 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, told the California-based newspaper.
“The meeting between the leaders comes as the Biden administration moves closer to India and other Asian and Pacific nations, continuing the Trump administration’s focus on responding to China’s growing power by building America’s economic and military ties in the region,” the daily reported.
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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 U.S. Senate and the vice presidency.
“This meeting will build upon their June 3 telephone conversation addressing the COVID response. They plan to discuss democracy, human rights, climate, and global health issues,” PTI reported quoting its sources.
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 was born to two immigrant parents -- a Black father and an Indian mother. Her father, Donald Harris, was from Jamaica, and her mother Shyamala Gopalan was a cancer researcher and civil rights activist from Chennai.
