Usha Chilukuri Vance’s granduncle, an RSS worker, was jailed during Emergency

Usha Chilukuri Vance, the wife of Donald Trump’s running mate JD Vance, has gained significant attention for her Indian roots. One of her close relatives was a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker and was jailed during the Emergency in India.

“Usha is the granddaughter of Ramasastry, my husband Subramanya Sastry’s eldest brother. My husband spent two years in jail during the Emergency as he was an RSS worker,” Shanthamma Chilukuri, Usha’s great-aunt, told The Times of India.

The Emergency in India was a 21-month period from 1975 to 1977. Then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had suspended rights and jailed opposition leaders and activists.

Her great-aunt Shanthamma, at 96, is India’s oldest active professor, travelling 60 km daily to teach physics at a university in Visakhapatnam.

Usha, 38, is the daughter of Indian immigrants who moved to the US in the late 1970s. She practices Hinduism and has an impressive academic background, having studied at Yale and Cambridge.

She previously worked as a law clerk to US Chief Justice John Roberts and later as an attorney at Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP.

JD Vance said that Usha, a practising Hindu, helped him find his Christian faith.

Shanthamma Chilukuri told Reuters that many in the family were well-versed in ancient texts like Upanishads and Vedas. She has authored a book on verses from the Bhagavad Gita.

The Chilukuri family places a strong emphasis on education, with Usha’s father and grandfather associated with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).

“Most of our family is academically strong and education has been a top priority,” Chilukuri told Reuters.

The family hails from Vadduru in Andhra Pradesh but moved to Chennai when Usha’s grandfather, Ramasastry Chilukuri, joined the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in 1959.

The IIT now runs a student award in the memory of Ramasastry, who used to teach physics, reported Reuters.

Usha’s introduction of her husband at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee marked her debut on the US national political stage.

If Trump wins the upcoming election which is going to be held in November, Usha could become the ‘Second Lady’ of the United States.

The Emergency in India was a period when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency, leading to the arrest of many opposition leaders and RSS workers.