'I'm happy she remembered her mother', says US VP Kamala Harris' uncle
Jan 21, 2021
By Joymala Bagchi
New Delhi [India], January 21 : As Kamala Harris took oath as the new Vice-President of the United States, her maternal uncle G Balachandran on Thursday expressed his happiness over the mention of Harris' mother in her election campaign speeches.
Speaking to ANI, Balachandran said, "I am quite relieved that everything happened in due course. Now I can actually see her (Kamala Harris) doing the work. The way Biden and Harris issued executive orders just after swearing-in, I am confident that they will succeed in what they were trying to do."
When asked about Harris' speech, Balachandran said the newly-elected US Vice President is a 'good speaker'. "I am happy that she remembered her mother in her campaign speeches," he added.
On Indo-US relations, Balachandran said, "There are areas which demand lots of negotiations. But, certainly, the relation between the two countries will be stronger."
He believes that Biden's victory would rebuild various international ties severed by ex-President Donald Trump government during his tenure.
Balachandran said that he would visit the US as soon as he receives his COVID-19 vaccination.
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were sworn as the 46th President and 49th Vice President of the US respectively on Wednesday.
Ahead of becoming the first woman, Black and South Asian Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris remembered her mother, Shyamalan Gopalan Harris, just before the inauguration ceremony.
"To the woman most responsible for my presence here today: my mother, Shyamalan Gopalan Harris, who is always in our hearts. When she came here from India at the age of 19, she maybe didn't quite imagine this moment. But she believed so deeply in an America, where a moment like this is possible," she said in a video posted on Twitter, repeating the words spoken during her victory speech in November 2020.
Her election as Vice-President is of great significance to Indians, particularly the diaspora in the US and is a reflection of the success of the community and the respect it has attained.
The former Senator's mother Shyamala Gopalan emigrated from Tamil Nadu and was a cancer researcher, while her father, a Jamaican, taught at Stanford University.