Us Update : Biden tells Modi will work to strengthen India ties alongside Harris
By Arul Louis
New York, Nov 18 : Joe Biden, who will take over as United States President in January, has told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that alongside Kamala Harris he wants to strengthen and expand relations between their countries.
Working closely on the Covid-19 pandemic figured in their phone call on Tuesday, Biden’s transition organisation’s readout of the conversation said.
“The President-elect thanked the Prime Minister for his congratulations and expressed his desire to strengthen and expand the US-India strategic partnership alongside the first Vice President of South Asian descent” Kamala Harris, according to the readout.
Absent from the readout is any mention of cooperation in counter-terrorism.
The readout mentions maintaining a secure Indo-Pacific, which was the centrepiece of President Donald Trump’s administration’s strategic involvement with India.
Biden, who started speaking to international leaders starting on November 10, finally got around to speaking with Modi.
Modi was among the first leaders to recognise Biden as the winner of the presidential election that is still being questioned by Trump and votes are being counted.
He and Indian President Ram Nath Kovind tweeted their congratulations to Biden shortly after the US media declared him the winner based on their projections of the results.
Modi recalled in his congratulatory tweet that Biden’s contribution as the vice president “to strengthening Indo-US relations was critical and invaluable.”
He added, “I look forward to working closely together once again to take India-US relations to greater heights.”
Biden has met Modi during his visit to Washington in 2014 and co-hosted along with then-Secretary of State John Kerry a luncheon in his honour.
In what could be relevant in 2021, had added, “This work will not be easy. It demands us both making tough choices, but I think that we have an incredible opportunity before us.”
Although Harris has described herself as of Indian descent and her mother an immigrant from India, Biden and his organisation have hesitated to acknowledge her Indian descent.
The South Asian identification could appeal to an expanded base or not attract the attention of the anti-Indian elements in the left-radical segment of the party.
It could also project an image of objectivity where India is involved.
When he spoke at a victory rally on November 7, Biden also referred to her as “first woman of South Asian descent.”
IANS