Telugu Diaspora: TANA condemns racist slurs by MAGA against Usha | Vijayawada News

VIJAYAWADA: The Telugu diaspora in the US has stood in support of Usha Vance, wife of JD Vance, Donald Trump’s running mate from Republican Party, following racist slurs by members of Make America Great Again (MAGA) on social media platforms.
“These racist comments are not acceptable and are highly condemnable,” said Niranjan Srungavarapu, president of Telugu Association of North America (TANA).
It has become an increasingly difficult choice for Telugu diaspora to choose between two women — Usha and Kamala Harris, who is likely to be the presidential candidate from Democratic Party.
The Telugu diaspora has been a mixed house when it comes to supporting political parties. While employees and students, though not having voting rights, are closer to the Democrats because of the liberal immigration policy, those who are into businesses and obtained green card in the US are generally in favour of Republicans.
The racist comments made by some of the far-right groups have become a concern for Telugu community. Nirajan said generally Indians are aligned with Republicans but this time they might choose Kamala if she is announced as presidential candidate.
“We stand in support of Usha when it comes to condemning racism, but there is a chance that Telugu people and for that matter Indians are likely to rally behind Democrats if Kamala is the presidential candidate”, he said.
TANA president condemns racist attack on Usha
Former president of TANA, Mohan Nannapaneni, said they condemn any kind of racist attack on any individual irrespective of nationality. “We would rather see Usha as a proud descendant of India than her Telugu origin,” he said.
Mohan said the racist attacks on Usha should not be linked to elections as Indians support both Republicans and Democrats. In fact, India benefited a lot when Republicans were in power.
Any election should be based on the merits but not on the party lines, he said adding that these kind of incidents don’t really make any difference in deciding whom to vote.
Ashok Kolla, former secretary of TANA, said Usha, being a daughter of Telugu origin immigrants, is symbol of America’s diversity and inclusivity.
“As an Indian-American, I strongly support Usha Vance amidst recent racist trolls. Usha’s journey from an immigrant daughter to the wife of JD Vance exemplifies the success and resilience of immigrant families. Racist attacks on her lineage are not just baseless but undermine the values of diversity and hard work that America stands for. Usha and JD Vance’s partnership highlights the importance of inclusivity in politics.”