US President Joe Biden endorsing Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party nominee for November’s presidential contest has pushed the 59-year-old Vice-President’s connect with India into the spotlight. A special pooja was held at the family temple in her ancestral village of Thulasendrapuram in Tamil Nadu's Tiruvarur district this week to invoke blessings for her expected upcoming presidential battled against Donald Trump in the United States.
Thulasendrapuram's Shri Dharmasastha Temple has a unique wall where the names of people who have made contributions to the temple are etched in Tamil, and the Democratic presidential candidate for the 2025 US election, Harris, is also one of them. California-born Kamala’s mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was a biologist who hailed from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
Villagers said they are proud of Kamala Harris and are praying for her in the US presidential elections. A woman, who came to offer her prayers at the temple in Thulasendrapuram, said: "We are so happy that she is being nominated. And we support Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. We wish her all the very best and good luck to her. We wish her victory."
Meanwhile, Harris swiftly moved to secure the support for her White House bid shortly after President Joe Biden announced his decision not to seek re-election following weeks of speculation around his health.
In response to Biden's endorsement, Harris expressed gratitude, stating in a released statement, "I am honoured to have the President's endorsement, and my intention is to earn and win this nomination."
Sources familiar with Harris' plans indicate she will maintain an aggressive travel schedule, consistent with her recent campaign efforts.
Indian American Congressman Shri Thanedar said she has done an outstanding job as senator, adding that he thinks Harris will make a great President.
He said: "I think Kamala Harris would be a great president. She is a tough lady. She has been a prosecutor. As a senator, she has done an outstanding job. And I look forward to working with Kamala Harris as the next president of the United States.
"You know, I have just recently, just a couple of weeks ago, I have met her in Detroit. She's very personable. She cares deeply about the democratic issues like, you know, protecting a woman's right to choose or protecting workers rights, you know, creating economic opportunities. She's very strong on small business, growth of small businesses. So I look forward to working with Kamala Harris as a member of Congress. And she is particularly, you know, I'm so proud that she would be our next President."
Another Indian American Congressman, Raja Krishnamoorthi, expressed gratitude to Joe Biden for his service to the nation for over 50 years.
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He said: "We are going to remain incredibly grateful to President Biden for his service to our country over five decades and now as president, he's accomplished in four years, what some presidents did not accomplish in eight years.
“And I think that he deserves tremendous credit for, you know, putting country above himself and taking the step that he did today."
Biden made the announcement from his home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, over the weekend after testing positive for Covid-19.
(ANI)