But now, as Harris nears the presidential nomination, India seems to be changing its view of her. While her identity may continue to inspire Indian immigrants in the US, observers within India are not only silent about her connections but also uncertain about her strategic position vis-à-vis the Indian subcontinent.
The initial “absurd, irrational enthusiasm” has “sunk into reality,” said Harsh V. Pant, visiting professor at King’s College London and vice-chairman of the Observer Research Foundation, an Indian think tank. Things have changed, he said, and “it is fair to say there is no real warmth towards her in India.”
Indian analysts point to a number of factors for the change: Ms Harris is seen as less embracing her Indian heritage, and there are growing concerns that her regular comments on issues of democracy and human rights in India have sparked backlash in India and undermined growing ties between Washington and New Delhi.
Pant said there was a sense of “rejection” among Harris’ Indian fans, adding: “This is the end of Kamala Harris’s relationship with India. She should be seen as an American, not an Indian-American.”
Indians are no strangers to the presence of Indian immigrants in important positions abroad. In recent years, the UK, Ireland and Portugal have all elected Indian immigrants as prime ministers. In the US, two Indian immigrant candidates, Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy, ran in this year’s Republican presidential primary.
Karthick Ramakrishnan, a professor at the University of California, Riverside and founder of AAPI Data, said the novelty is wearing off.
“I think there’s less of a curiosity element at least when it comes to the media, and maybe even in society,” he said.
Idli Politics
Harris was raised by his Chennai-born mother after his mother and Jamaican-born father divorced when he was seven. His maternal grandfather was a former Indian civil servant and freedom fighter.
Harris wrote in her 2019 memoir that her multiracial upbringing gave her a “strong awareness and appreciation of Indian culture.” Still, her early politicization revolved around being black in America, including growing up in Oakland and studying at Howard University during the Black Power movement.
Harris wrote that her mother “knew that Maya and I would be seen as black girls in our adopted country and was determined to make sure we grew up to be confident, proud black women.”
In a 2009 interview with the Indian diaspora magazine India Abroad, reprinted by CNN, when asked about other politicians who have distanced themselves from their Indian heritage, Harris responded, “We have to see that most people exist through a prism, that they are the sum of many parts.”
Harris has repeatedly touted her Indian roots since taking office as vice president, hosting the largest Diwali celebration ever at the White House in 2022 as well as a smaller gathering at her private residence to mark the Hindu festival of lights.
But some Indians say that’s not enough. Indrani Bagchi, a foreign policy commentator and president of the Ananta Centre think tank, said Harris was “deliberately downplaying” her Indian roots. Others pointed out that while Harris spent a week in Ghana as vice president, she has never visited India.
Dinsha Mistry, a Hoover Institution expert on U.S.-India relations and a professor at Stanford University, said Harris may not see her Indian identity as “politically advantageous” at this point.
“Given the states she needs to win and the number of Indian voters, do I think she should be highlighting that in the next 100 days? Probably not,” Mistry said.
An Indian government official, speaking candidly on condition of anonymity, said the rise of Indian-origin politicians has attracted a lot of attention in India but that it does not immediately bode particularly well for the country.
“Whether Harris likes idli for breakfast may be noteworthy, but it is of little importance in explaining her political trajectory,” Raja Mohan, director of the Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore, wrote in the Indian Express.
So far, it has played little role in US-India relations.
Indian officials and strategic experts say Harris has little role to play in expanding India-US geopolitical ties, leaving that role to President Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.
“Harris has not made any major changes in relations with India,” Bagchi said. “When she made comments about India, I don’t think they were friendly comments and they were not comments that took into account where India stands on issues.”
In 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government stripped the Muslim-majority Kashmir of its special autonomy, a long-standing pillar of his party’s policy. Shortly after, the government imposed a strict lockdown and internet blackout on the region, and arrested hundreds of politicians and activists.
More than a month later, when asked about the incident in Texas while on the campaign trail, Harris sympathetically said Kashmiris needed to be reminded that “we are all watching.”
Later that year, India’s foreign minister abruptly canceled a meeting with congressional leaders after U.S. lawmakers refused to exclude Rep. Pramila Jayapal, one of India’s most vocal critics of Indian policy, from the meeting. Harris posted messages on social media defending Jayapal.
Her actions stood in contrast to the Republican administration then in power: Just months after riots erupted in Delhi in response to a new citizenship law, President Donald Trump made a major official visit to the city.
Television channel India Today on Tuesday featured Harris’ comments on Kashmir, running a banner that read “Harris and Modi: The issues are complex.”
Harris, like Biden, may change her tone if she takes office. Before taking office, Biden also released a policy paper calling on India to take necessary steps to “restore rights” in Kashmir. But since taking office, Biden has taken a much more cautious stance.
US-India relations have been going through a difficult time. Last year, US authorities foiled a plot to assassinate an American in New York after the Washington Post revealed that an Indian official in India’s intelligence services had directed the operation.
But overall, India feels it is in a geopolitical position with tensions with China rising and the US looking for allies in Asia.
Harsh Vardhan Shringla, a former Indian foreign minister and ambassador to Washington, said India is in a secure position no matter who wins the November elections. “It’s a win-win for India either way.”
Seth reported from Washington.
