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Who is Raj Kaur Randhawa? Nikki Haley says her mom ‘was never able to sit on the bench’ in India
Nikki Haley opened up about her mother, Raj Kaur Randhawa, after casting her vote in the South Carolina Republican primary
Nikki Haley opened up about her mother, Raj Kaur Randhawa, after casting her vote in the South Carolina Republican primary inside a private community association centre on Kiawah Island. She was accompanied by her children and Randhawa when she spoke to reporters, promising to continue in the primary.
Haley was asked what she meant when she previously said she would continue campaigning “until the last person votes.” She was also asked if she would stay in the race until the Republican convention. Haley replied she was referring to South Carolina voters .
Haley pointed to her mother, sitting in a wheelchair, and explained why the moment was important to her. “My mom, when she was in India, she was a lawyer and one of the first female judges. And because of the times, she was never able to sit on the bench,” Haley said.
“And so to be able to go and vote … and cast a ballot for her daughter for president of the United States, tells us everything we need to know about how blessed we are to be in this country,” she added.
Who is Raj Kaur Randhawa?
Randhawa was born in the Punjab region of India. Haley wrote in her memoir, Can't Is Not An Option, that her mother grew up in a six-story home close to the Golden Temple. Randhawa was young when her father died. She went on to graduate from law school at the University of New Delhi, but was unable to make the most of her education while in India.
"When you didn't have a lot of education in India, my mother actually was able to go to law school," Haley said in a March 2017 speech. "She was actually put up to be one of the first female judges in India, but because of the situation with women, she wasn't allowed to sit on the bench. But how amazing for her to watch her daughter become governor of South Carolina and US ambassador to the United Nations."
Haley revealed in her memoir that Randhawa failed to accept the role of a sitting judge because her family "didn't think it was appropriate."
