Kamala Harris' maternal uncle won't attend inauguration, says 'no message I can give'

Just hours before the inauguration of vice-president-elect Kamala Harris, her maternal uncle Gopalan Balachandran said on January 20 that he will not be attending the swearing-in ceremony amid the COVID-19 pandemic. While talking to the news agency ANI, Balachandran said that attending the inauguration is not worth taking the trouble because it would only draw media attention. He said that it won’t “look good” for him to land in Washington, where Kamala Harris would be taking the oath, amid the ongoing global health crisis. 

"Amid the ongoing pandemic and the vaccination drive, the trouble is not worth taking. It doesn't look good that I land in Washington, contract COVID-19 and attract unnecessary media attention," said Balachandran on his decision to not attend the inauguration ceremony in person.

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Further, on being asked if he has any message for the niece who is credited of creating history and becoming the first woman vice president of the United States, her maternal uncle said that there is “no message”. Balachandran also noted that he did not assist Harris in achieving one of the biggest milestones of her political career and said, “she did it all on her own”. He said he had told Harris to do what her mother, Shyamala Kamala Harris has taught her throughout their life. The maternal uncle wants his niece to “keep it up”.

Balachandran told ANI, "There's no message I can give. I didn't help her become the Vice President. She did it all on her own. All that I'll tell her is 'do whatever Shyamala (Kamala Harris' mother) taught you. You've been doing fine so far. Keep it up.' That's all I can say."

"There are already a lot of problems. There is no point in giving political advice from India. I will convey my concerns to her once I meet her in the US,” he said on refraining from giving political advice to his niece. 

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Biden-Harris inauguration

The inauguration of 46th US President-elect Joe Biden is scheduled to take place around 10:00-10:30 PM (IST) or 11:30 AM (ET) on January 20 amid concerns of potentially armed protests across the nation. The historic swearing-in ceremony for Biden and first woman US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be one-of-a-kind with a mixture of virtual and in-person attendees owing to the alarming situation of COVID-19 pandemic in the country. The ceremony, which will be held outside the US Capitol just weeks after the stunning attack by Trump supporters, is also taking place after a chaotic transition with Trump still left to congratulate his successor.

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