Kamala Harris’ niece Meena Harris.
Recently, Vice President Kamala Harris’ 36-year-old niece, Meena Harris, tweeted anti-India rhetoric that runs counter to President Biden‘s efforts to strengthen U.S. relations with India and may make it more difficult for Biden to achieve his foreign policy goals.
According to the Washington Examiner, Indian media have detailed Meena’s activism, such as her call for the release of political activist Nodeep Kaur and her support for Indian farmers’ violent confrontation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s agricultural reforms.
On Monday (8), Meena shared a tweet calling Modi’s government a “dictatorship” and saying that Modi is endangering the world’s largest democracy.
Last week, on her Instagram account, which has nearly 1 million followers, Meena posted a post. She wrote that fascist dictators are growing, implying that this is the case in India.
Mina’s public comments could have nasty repercussions, with one former U.S. diplomat saying Mina’s radicalism “will seriously complicate our diplomacy with Delhi (Delhi).”
“It’s inappropriate,” said Brett Bruen, head of the Obama administration’s National Security Council, which has expressed support for Modi’s reforms.
In a phone call with Modi on Monday, Biden vowed to work closely. In a statement on the call, the White House said a shared commitment to democratic values is the cornerstone of the U.S.-India relationship.
In a reaffirmation of the strength of the U.S.-India partnership, Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar a day after Biden’s call with Modi.
“In general, the United States welcomes measures that will improve the efficiency of Indian markets and attract more private sector investment.” A U.S. State Department official said.
Bruun also stressed that Meena’s activism could pose a risk to national security.
“The involvement of Family members in foreign policy has always been a big no-no,” Bruun added, “and it could make them a target for foreign influence operations. It leaves the impression that they can exert undue influence on the process, while also opening up a major hole in our national security as countries and groups target the family members of these White House officials for action in order to advance their particular policies.”
The White House did not respond to a related request for comment.
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