Washington:
The historic inauguration of Kamala Harris as America’s vice president has additional cemented the value of the partnership involving the United States and India, according to a top rated White House official.
Born to a Jamaican father and an Indian mother, 56-year-old Kamala Harris produced history on Wednesday when she was sworn in as the very first female, very first Black and very first Asian-American US vice-president. The former senator from California was sworn in just prior to Joe Biden, 78, took the oath of workplace to grow to be the 46th President of the United States.
Addressing reporters at her everyday news conference on Thursday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki stated President Biden respects the extended bipartisan profitable partnership involving the two nations.
“President Biden, of course, has visited India many times, respects and values the long bipartisan successful relationship between leaders in India and the United States. It looks forward to a continuation of that, Ms Psaki said responding to a question on India-US relationship under the new Biden administration.
The historic inauguration of Indian-origin Kamala Harris, she said, further cements this relationship.
“Obviously, he (Joe Biden) chosen and yesterday, she (Kamala Harris) was sworn in as the very first Indian-American to serve as president or vice president. Certainly, a historic moment for all of us in this nation but a additional cementing of the value of our partnership,” Ms Psaki said.
On Wednesday, Kamala Harris credited her mother for showing faith in her and always reminding her two daughters that “although we may possibly be the very first, we need to not be the final.”
Kamala Harris remembered her late mother Shyamala Gopalan, a cancer researcher and civil rights activist from India, saying she has always carried that lesson from her mother with her throughout her career from serving as the first woman District Attorney of San Francisco, to the first woman Attorney General of California, and the first woman of colour to represent California in the United States Senate.
“My story is the story of millions of Americans. My mother Shyamala Gopalan arrived in the United States from India. She raised my sister Maya and me to know that although we may possibly be the very first, we need to not be the final,” Ms Harris said at the Presidential Inaugural Committee’s official Asian American inaugural ball, hosted virtually by IMPACT, the leading Indian American advocacy and political action committee.
“Your continued faith in me has brought me to this moment,” she stated.
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