For the Indian-American voters, it will be a tough choice in the US presidential elections. While Professor Sreeram Sundar Chaulia, Dean, Jindal School of International Affairs, feels the Modi-Trump bonhomie gives the Republicans an edge as far as Indian- American voters are concerned, India’s former ambassador to the US Meera Shankar believes the impact of Kamala Harris factor can’t be negated. They were in conversation with author and senior journalist Kaveree Bamzai in TNIE Expressions, a series of live webcasts with people who matter.
The tightening of H1B visa rules, immigration policies and a “laboured” response to the Covid-19 pandemic would not have dented Donald Trump’s prospects in the US presidential elections as far as the Indian-American community is concerned, opined Chaulia.
“Trump going after H1B visas did not affect naturalised Americans and some of them may vote for him because of the Modi-Trump bonhomie, because he is against radical Islam and is ready for a big dust-up against China. Perceptions matter for lay voters. So, a guy who is calling them (China) names and looks like he is going to punch them in the eye will appeal to them,” he said.
The Modi-Trump bonhomie and relationship is expected to play a large part in the way Indian diaspora votes in the upcoming polls, said Shankar, who was the ambassador from 2009-2011. She pointed out that though Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s numbers are currently ahead of Trump’s, the margins are very slim, “Trump’s own approval rating has remained steady and he has neither been able to increase it nor has it decreased very significantly. Which means his constituencies are rock solid,” she explained.
Both Shankar and Chaulia believed that the addition of Kamala Harris to the Biden ticket is being keenly watched. “Harris being on the Biden ticket is historic because she is a woman and she is a woman of colour and this has energised the campaign from an ‘anything but Trump’ state,” said Shankar. “Traditionally, Indian-Americans have heavily leant Democratic,” explained Chaulia. “One hears that Trump’s campaign is targeting Hindus and 1.3 million voters is no small number…
I don’t expect many of them to vote Democratic, though Harris may be an added attraction.” Having dealt with Biden when he served as Obama’s Vice-President, Shankar pointed out that one thing that worked in his favour was his positive attitude towards India. “He’s had long experience in foreign policy and a positive attitude towards India. You’ll never get the unfiltered responses of President Trump. There will be more predictability and a more cautious and mainstream (approach),” she said.