With just days ahead of the US Presidential elections, Democratic nominee reaches out to Indian American community in an op-ed piece highlighting the shared joys the country enjoys with American-Indians and highlighting the Vice Preident’s candidate Kamala Harris’ Indian origins.
Joe Biden had tried to reach out to the Indian diaspora, the population of which have significantly risen in the US and tried to highlight the values and business opportunities the two countries have shared in the past in an op-ed article for India West.
Biden expressed the values shared by both Americans and the Indian diaspora in the US. “I’ve always felt deeply connected to the Indian American community because of the values we share: duty to family and elders, treating people with respect and dignity, self-discipline, service, and hard work. For me, these values were passed down from my Irish ancestors who risked everything for a better life in America, and they have shaped me as a son, brother, husband, father, grandfather, and a man of faith and a lifelong public servant,” he said.
Biden stressed on the fact that the Indian American voters which currently stands at of nearly 2 million is a powerful force in states including- North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia and Texas.
He recalled a Diwali reception that he hosted at his residence four years ago. “Here I was, an Irish Catholic Vice President opening my home for a holiday traditionally observed by Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, and Jains, and that night joined by Muslims, Christians, and Indian Americans of various backgrounds representing the diversity of the diaspora,” he said.
Biden also stressed on Kamal Harris’ Indian origin while appealing to Indian-American voters. “Kamala is smart, tested, and prepared. But another thing that makes Kamala so inspiring is her mother, Shyamala Gopalan. We feel Kamala’s pride when she talks about her. She was from Chennai, where her father, Kamala’s grandfather, was active in the fight for Indian independence… Kamala often shares photos of her mother holding her young daughters’ hands at that time, a picture that speaks a thousand stories of courage, hope, and sacrifice,” Biden said.
“I know the pride you feel about her nomination because her story is your story, too. It’s an American story. And it’s why I’m asking Kamala to be what Barack Obama asked of me to be: the last person in the room and, together, to represent the belief in possibilities,” he added.
The Democratic presidential candidate had a clear message on India’s standoff with China and the issue of terrorism in the subcontinent. “The U.S. and India will stand together against terrorism in all its forms and work together to promote a region of peace and stability where neither China nor any other country threatens its neighbors. We’ll open markets and grow the middle class in both the United States and India, and confront other international challenges together, like climate change, global health, transnational terrorism and nuclear proliferation,” Joe Biden said.
Biden attacked Trump on H-1B visa and immigrant visas saying that Trump has dangerous rhetoric about immigrants. “It’s likely you and your family have been caught in the middle of President Trump’s crackdown of legal immigration and pathways to permanent residency and citizenship and his decisions on the H-1B visa program. And his dangerous rhetoric about immigrants has empowered white supremacists and even fueled hate crimes against Indian Americans,” Biden said.
Joe Biden said that he will expand Affordable Care Act with a public option, making public education free for poorer families and welcome immigrants to attract the best and brightest workers in the world.
He highlighted the tenure of President Obama saying that the two countries were in the best phase of their relations.
With 50 million people having already cast early ballots, Biden has a firm lead in national polls, as well as in most of the battleground states like Florida that typically decide the winner of US presidential elections.
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