Democrats slam Indian-US Guv for saying herself 'white'

Washington, Jul 29: Democrats have accused North Carolina's Indian-American Governor Nikki Haley of listing her race as "white" in her voter registration form in 2001 and playing on it for political convenience.

Haley created history this year as she was sworn in as first women governor of North Carolina. She is also the first governor of Sikh heritage.

39-year-old Haley is also the first Indian-American woman governor and after Bobby Jindal from Louisiana is only the second from the community to occupy this post.

The local Post and Courier reported that the state Democratic Party, which first obtained the public record in this regard, is challenging whether her inconsistency on the card might have made her ineligible to voter under the state's new Voter ID law.

State Democratic Party Chairman Dick Harpootlian said whether Haley listed her race as white or not doesn't really matter to him, but the issue is that the governor has shown a pattern of such actions.

"Haley has been appearing on television interviews where she calls herself a minority when it suits her," Harpootlian was quoted as saying.

"When she registers to vote she says she is white. She has developed a pattern of saying whatever is beneficial to her at the moment," he said. "She can't even tell the truth about her racial heritage." There was no immediate response from Haley's office.

The state Election Commission gives people the choice of declaring their race as white, black/African-American, Asian, Hispanic, Native American or other, the agency's spokesman Chris Whitmire said.

PTI