Hindu Groups In US Seek Apology From Kamala Harris' Niece For Tweeting Image Depicting Aunt As Durga

Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris' niece Meena Harris is facing ire from several Hindu groups based in the US. Meena had tweeted a picture depicting aunt Kamala as goddess Durga, which was considered "outrageous" by several people.

"Your tweeting a caricature of the feminine divine, Maa Durga, with faces superimposed, deeply aggrieved many Hindus globally," Suhag A Shukla of the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) said in a tweet. And also issued guidelines.

Dear @meenaharris, by now you know that your tweeting a caricature of the feminine divine, Maa Durga, with faces superimposed, deeply aggrieved many Hindus globally.

To avoid such an error in judgement, for future reference, please refer to: https://t.co/yXBRCE4xcw

— Suhag A. Shukla (@SuhagAShukla) October 18, 2020

The tweet by Meena now stands deleted. In the image, reportedly Senator Harris is depicted as goddess Durga and is seen killing current US President Donald Trump, who is depicted as buffalo demon Mahishasura. The image also showed Joe Biden as the lion, the ''vahana'' (vehicle) of the goddess Durga, the Outlook reported.

Meena responding to the outrage has said, "I am actually speechless, other than to say that the first day of Navaratri was LIT." Thirty-five-year-old Meena Harris, is a lawyer, the founder of the Phenomenal Woman Action Campaign, an organisation that works to bring awareness to intersectional social causes and a children's book author.

Rishi Bhutada of the Hindu American Political Action Committee said the "offensive" picture was not created by Meena Harris herself. Bhutada, however, demanded an apology from Meena Harris for posting a picture that depicted Kamala Harris as the goddess.

Also Read: Why You Should Know About Shyamala Gopalan, Kamala Harris’ Mom

"Given that, I personally believe that an apology should come from Meena Harris even though she did delete the tweet, and no one else. Our religious iconography should not be used in the service of politics in America -- I said the same when the Fort Bend County GOP did it in an ad in 2018, and it holds the same here," Rishi Bhutada was quoted by PTI.

Just two days ago Kamala's supporters expressed outrage on social media when a Republican senator from Georgia mispronounced her name and hashtags 'MyNameIs' and 'IstandwithKamala' trended on Twitter.

Similar Incidents

This reminds us that in mid-September actor-politician Nusrat Jahan Ruhi  took to her Instagram on the occasion of Mahalaya and posted the image of herself dressed as Goddess Durga. She also posted videos from the photo shoot where it was taken. Following which she started receiving a lot of hate texts and abuse online. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP, Jahan is a Muslim born and is married to Nikhil Jain, a Hindu man.

Also Read: Kamala Harris And Her Indian Roots: All You Need To Know

What Kamala Harris' Win Would Mean?

With American's all set to vote amidst the pandemic, one of the world's most powerful countries will be electing their next president on 3rd November.  If the Democratic party's presidential nominee Joe Biden and running mate Kamala Harris can defeat President Trump it will be a historic win. Harris is the first Asian-American and African-American to be chosen as a running mate by a major party’s presidential candidate.

Picture Credit: NCB News