India and the United States today are on the same political trajectory. It is the fight to retain the integrity of its people and the war against the dangerous communist-jihadi combine that seeks to dominate the world through dogma, violence and radicalised religion. And just as we have the Congress in India — a pseudo-secular, pro-Muslim party with a history of failed diplomacy in international relations — the US has the Democrats. A party that is well-known for its basically anti-Hindu/pro-Islamic thought and deed. A party that plays on the emotions of the people of the US in the name of liberty and equality, and yet when voted to power, goes against the very nature of its electoral promise. Kamala Harris, or as she is very conveniently Kamala ‘Devi’ Harris now, is the best example of that.
A person of Indian-Jamaican parentage, a member of the Third Baptist Church of San Francisco and wife of entertainment lawyer Douglas Emhoff. A lady who has never laid claim to be Indian until now. Which honestly she isn’t either- she’s as far away from identifying as ‘Indian’ as Joe Biden himself would be.
A mirror-image in India is the brother-sister duo of Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi. Come election time, and they are ready with their temple-tourism, their rudraksha malas and tilaks to denote Hindu roots and a consistent pro-Indian voice that they raise while seeking votes. A diametric change from pre-2014, where all they sought was the vote of specific minorities and appeasement was the name of the game. And yet, every time they have been voted to power, as history has it- they have never hesitated to become agents of communist China, a country that has been viciously anti-India for as long as one can remember.
This is what the Indian diaspora in the US needs to be wary of. Indians, emotional as they are, will choose to vote for what they see as the fulfilment of an aspirational dream — that of seeing one of their own in the highest echelons of power.
But Kamala ‘Devi’ Harris is not that. Slowly and surely, she has started showing her true colours, resonant with her beliefs and political affiliation with the Democrats. Her latest statement on Kashmir where she promises support to ‘Kashmiris’, and talks of intervening if needed, is essentially what is an internal matter of India regarding the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, is telling.
Another Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal had her support when India’s Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar had refused to meet or attend any function which had her attendance. Jayapal had earlier moved a resolution on the Kashmir issue in the House of Representatives.
“It’s wrong for any foreign government to tell Congress what members are allowed in meetings on Capitol Hill,” said Harris in her tweet.
But it’s fine to interfere in Kashmir without being asked to, Ms Harris?
Indians in the US should remember that when asked at the Howard University press conference after she placed her bid, whether she identifies as an African-American or an Indian-American, Harris replied that she identifies as “a proud American”.
In the same vein, when she had to list her ancestry on the U.S. Census form, Kamala Harris dropped any ties to her Indian roots and chose instead to be known as “African American” instead of “Asian Indian.” This despite her emotive declaration that the greatest truth in her life is the honour of being Dr Shyamala Gopalan Harris’s daughter. Then why forget her singular contribution in your life Ms.Harris, when pursuing identity politics?
Also, pride in her African-American roots was apparent when she declared her presidency on Martin Luther King Jr Day. Her campaign colours and typography are designed to come across as a tribute to Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman to run for president in 1972.
The truth is that China is desperate. As they see their country headed for disintegration in the near future, they will do anything to further their cause of having a pro-Communist China party at the helm of a government in the US. And the election of Kamala Harris is fitting in just perfectly. Which true Indian living in America would openly support pro-Pakistan Kashmiri Muslims rather than the Kashmiris who were driven out of their homes and land in the worst genocide in recent history, and still remain true to India?
Kamala Harris’s vice-presidential projection as an Indian is wrong on every count. It is designed to garner the support of the hugely successful Indian diaspora in the US. But those Indians need to now believe that they require no one anywhere to validate their position in the country. That they hold a vote that should be cast carefully. Elect a government that will help the US along with India, Japan, Australia and other friendly countries fight the proxy-war that has been unleashed by China and their closest allies- the Jihadi Muslim countries. And any democratic government that dangerously manipulates its voters on a false premise and then betrays them is not the right one.
Indians, beware of the wolf in sheep’s clothing.