Greeting her with ‘Vanakkam’, DMK President MK Stalin on Monday, 9 November, wrote to US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
He said that it was a matter of pride for the people of Tamil Nadu that America's first woman Vice President-elect has a link to the state. He expressed confidence that she would bring more laurels to America.
"Let your tenure bring more laurels to America and herald the pride of Tamil heritage to the world," he said.
He tweeted a congratulatory letter – said to be hand-written by himself – in Tamil, and Stalin said he hoped it would bring her joy, as it was the mother tongue of her mother Shymala Gopalan Harris.
He told how her victory has given the Dravidian movement a sense of confidence and proven that a woman with Tamil roots is qualified to govern even the United States of America. He also mentioned how her initiatives were aimed at ensuring gender equality in all walks of life.
“Your vision and hard work have proven that a Tamil woman is capable of ruling America,” read his letter. This move has been seen as an attempt by Stalin to stir up Tamil sentiment ahead of the 2021 Assembly polls.
He said Tamil Nadu was looking forward to her visit.
About the 46th Vice President of the US
Kamala Harris has made history becoming the first woman and the first woman of South-Asian origin to become the 46th Vice President of the United States. She is also first black woman and the first woman of Indian-origin to serve at such a position in the government.
Harris was born to a Jamaican father and an Indian mother in 1964, at Oakland in California. Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was born in Chennai before she moved to the US for higher studies.
Her maternal grandfather PV Gopalan hailed from Thulasendrapuram in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruvarur, which celebrated with firecrackers, rangolis, distributing sweets upon her victory.
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