Vikas Khanna on Kamala Harris: 'never thought I'd see a US-Indian on Presidential ticket'

As Indian-origin senator Kamala Harris was selected by Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden as his Vice-Presidential running mate, Michelin-star chef Vikas Khanna has said that this is 'New America.' Not only is Kamala Harris the first black woman to compete on a major party's vice presidential ticket, but she is also the first Indian-American in the race. Khanna in a tweet on Wednesday said that he had never imagined that he would see an Indian-American on a ticket, despite staying in the US for 20 years. 

In the aftermath of George Floyd's killing, demands had grown for a woman of colour to be as V-P candidate for the US elections due in November this year. Finally, just days ahead of his virtual Democratic National Convention that would formally nominate him as the party’s candidate, Joe Biden announced that Kamala Harris will be his running mate.

Vikas Khanna to conduct major food drives in flood affected areas of Bihar and Assam

Who is Kamala Harris?

Harris, 55, whose father was born in British Jamaica and mother was an Indian born in Chennai, is currently the US Senator from California and often has been described as a trailblazer by former president Barack Obama. She was born in Oakland and grew up in Berkeley. After her parents divorced, she spent her high school years living in French-speaking Canada — her mother was teaching at McGill University in Montreal. In 2010, Harris became the first black woman to be elected as California's Attorney General, overseeing the country’s second-largest Justice Department, only behind the US Department of Justice.

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Harris is known for many firsts. She has been a county district attorney; the district attorney for San Francisco — the first woman and first African-American and Indian-origin to be elected to the position. She was also the first female African-American and Indian-origin to become California’s attorney general. Harris became the first Indian-origin and second African-American woman to join the Senate, winning the California seat vacated by Senator Barbara Boxer, who retired after 24 years. Harris held the first event of her 2020 presidential campaign in Washington on the landmark campus of Howard University, from which Harris earned an undergraduate degree in 1986.

Harris had launched her own presidential campaign in January 2019. After the initial few months, her campaign could not take off and by the end of the year, she withdrew from the race. Early this year, she endorsed Biden for Presidentship and during the primaries and pre-primary season, she did not have a good relationship with Biden; however, things improved gradually. Criminal justice and legal rights were central to her campaign themes.

READ | Joe Biden selects Indian-Origin Kamala Harris as VP & running mate for US polls

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