Indian American political action committee endorses Sen. Kamala Harris for President

Photo: US Senator Kamala Harris, left, with her sister Maya

The Indian American Impact Fund, a leading political action committee (PAC) based in Maryland, has endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Senator Kamala Harris of Indian and Jamaican descent for the US presidential race.

“In such a critically important election, one that will shape policy and politics for generations to come, Indian Americans can’t afford to stay on the sidelines,” the Indian American Impact Fund’s co-founder Raj Goyle said in a statement.

Goyle, also a former Kansas state lawmaker, said it was for that reason that the organization chose to be “the first Indian-American or Asian-American political organization to endorse” Harris, whose mother is from Chennai,” newsreports said.

The Indian American Impact Fund is a national organization upholding the ideals of representative democracy with a focus on Indian Americans to run, win and lead. In 2018, over 100 Indian Americans ran for office in 29 states; IMPACT Fund endorsed 27 of these candidates, 44% of whom won their races in November.

 “In the coming months, we look forward to mobilizing our network of resources to ensure Senator Harris secures the Democratic nomination and is elected the next President of the US,” Goyle said.

Harris thanked the Impact Fund for the endorsement. “This endorsement and the support of the Indian American Impact Fund and its members means so much to me,” she said in a statement. “Together, we will fight for an America that restores the values of truth and justice and works for working people, from raising incomes to expanding health care.”

The Impact Fund Executive Director and former Maryland state delegate Aruna Miller said her group was “proud to endorse” Harris. “She is a tested leader who has demonstrated, throughout her career, a strong commitment to our community’s progressive and pluralistic values,” Miller said.

Harris, one of the first Democrats to launch the presidential campaign in this election cycle, is also one of the front-runners at the moment. If elected, she will become the first woman, the first Indian American, the first Asian American, and the first African American woman to serve as President.

This UK city has announced a $195 fine for spitting paan

For those of you who love paan, you might want to think twice before chewing it in the UK. If you are in the city of Leicester, you could have to pay a fine of £150 ($195) for spitting paan.

The signboard, recently put up by the city's police department in collaboration with Leicester City Council, clearly singled out Gujaratis. "Spitting paan on the street is unhygienic and anti-social. You could be fined £150 ($195)" it read, first in Gujarati then in English. 

According to Leicestershire Police, the habit seemed to be more prevalent in the east section of the city, including areas like Spinney Hills and North Evington. Belgrave, which also has a high density of Indians, was also one of the affected places. 

A 2010 report in BBC mentioned that in that year, a North-London based council called Brent Council tried to regulate the issue by fining those found guilty of illegal expectoration. In 2014, the London Council issued an £80 ($104) fine on those found guilty of "anti-social" spitting. 

The Council also stated that paan juice stains were hard and expensive to remove from roads and sidewalks and also caused diseases, along with destroying the aesthetic beauty and sanitation of a place.

The Brent Council, newsreports said, spends approximately £30,000 ($39,000) annually in cleaning the stains from the boroughs under it. In October 2018, the Council along with city representatives from Veolia, Wembley Central and Alperton Residents’ Association started a fresh anti-spitting campaign.