Meena Harris; left: Protesters in India burn portraits of Meena Harris as well as and Greta Thunberg in New Delhi on Feb. 4.Photo: Meena Harris/Instagram; Dinesh Joshi/AP/Shutterstock
Meena, a 36-year-old author, attorney and fashion entrepreneur, joinsRihanna, climate change activistGreta Thunbergand others in criticizing Modi and India’s government.
She has also urged the release ofNodeep Kaur, a 24-year-old activist in India who was detained after being accused of assaulting police officers during the protests.
What to Know About the Protests
Protesters have called on Modi, a Hindu nationalist, to repeal the legislation, worrying that the new rules will make their livelihoods (and, in effect, their source of income) more vulnerable to private investors.
Dozens of protesters have reportedly died during the unrest, though the Indian government has been quick to claim that police officers have been “physically attacked, and in some cases stabbed and seriously wounded.”
The government has also been criticized for blocking internet access in some parts of the country amid the protests, which India’s Ministry of Home Affairs has said was done “in the interest of maintaining public safety and averting public emergency,” according toCNN.
The Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology recently sent orders to Twitter to block a number of accounts and hashtagsconnected to the protests(many of them critical of the government and of Modi). Though Twitter initially complied with two of those emergency blocking orders, it said in ablog postWednesday that it had “subsequently restored access to the content in a manner that we believe was consistent with Indian law.”
The government has also defended reforms that first sparked the protests, arguing they “give expanded market access and provide greater flexibility to farmers,” and “pave the way for economically and ecologically sustainable farming.”
It’s a defense that has seen some support from the Biden administration, with a State Department official tellingPolitico: “The United States welcomes steps that would improve the efficiency of India’s markets and attract greater private sector investment.”
The administration has criticized Modi’s crackdown on the internet, however, with the official tellingPoliticothat access to the internet “is fundamental to the freedom of expression.”
A State Department spokesperson tells PEOPLE: “We recognize that peaceful protests are a hallmark of any thriving democracy, and note that the Indian Supreme Court has stated the same. We encourage that any differences between the parties be resolved through dialogue.”
What Meena Harris Said
Meena — a Harvard and Stanford-educated lawyer,children’s book authorand the founder of thePhenomenal Woman Action Campaign— is an outspoken social media presence whose profile has drastically increased in connection with her aunt. She often posts memes and personal videos of the vice president on Instagram andTikTok.
On Feb. 5, Meena tweeted in support of the release of Kaur, the activist who remains in custody after being arrested on Jan. 12.
In a separatetweet, Meena wrote that the issue of the Indian protests wasn’t one strictly of agricultural policy. She echoedothercriticsof Modi’s nationalist policies and stance on the country’s Muslim minority.
“It’s also about the persecution of a vocal religious minority,” she wrote. “It’s police violence, militant nationalism, and attacks on labor rights. It’s global authoritarianism. Don’t tell me to stay out of your affairs. These are all of our issues.”
On Instagram, Meena’s criticism was more barbed, with a post suggesting that Modi was a “fascist dictator” in a caption beneath a photo of farm protesters.
“Trump may have left office, but look around: the tide is still rising,” she wrote. “Militant nationalism remains just as potent a force in American politics as it is in India or anyplace else. And it can only be stopped if people wake up to the reality that these FASCIST DICTATORS aren’t going anywhere.”
While she is a private citizen with no formal advisory role to the Biden-Harris administration, Meena’s personal link to the White House means that her criticism of the Indian government brings with it increased scrutiny.
The Harris family’s Indian heritage also brings them increased attention in India. The vice president made history last month when she was sworn in as the first woman, first Black person and first person of Asian descent to hold the office.
The Response from Indian Officials and Prominent News Sources
The Biden administration hasn’t offered any comment on Meena’s remarks, though Biden himself spoke with Modi in a phone conversationearlier this week.
The full context of their conversation has not been made public.
A spokeswoman for Harris declined to comment this week on Meena’s activism.
source: people.com
