The author of a recently published comprehensive study of India-US relations over a 70-year period from President Truman to President Trump – ‘A Matter of Trust’ – says that as US Vice President, Kamala Harris’s role in determining President Joe Biden’s India policy will be “peripheral”.

Meenakshi Ahamed says that Kamala Harris was chosen as Biden’s running mate primarily because she is half Black. It is, therefore, her role in attracting and cementing Black support to the Biden presidency that is and will be her major contribution to the incoming administration. President Biden’s India policy will be mainly determined by his Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who knows India well and has visited the country when he was President Obama’s Deputy Secretary of State.

In a 33-minute interview to Karan Thapar for The Wire, Meenakshi Ahamed said that Kamala Harris’s presence as Vice President will normalize and mainstream the role of Indian Americans in US public life. No longer will it be seen as exotic or as representation for a minority community but as a full-fledged part of mainstream US politics.

Meenakshi Ahamed told The Wire that the Indian diaspora in America will play a heightened and very important role in the Biden administration. On the one hand at least 20 people of Indian origin will be part of Biden’s administration of whom 17 will be directly involved in the White House. On the other hand, 60% of Indians in the USA are India-born and have close emotional and family links with India. This combination will ensure that Indian concerns and interests remain at the forefront of the Biden White House.