Artist paints portraits of Biden-Harris, wishes to gift them on their oath-taking

On the eve of the inauguration ceremony of US President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on January 20, an artist painted the portraits of the leaders on Tuesday as a gift to them on their swearing-in.

Expressing his wish to display his artistic work in the White House, famous painter from Punjab, Jagjot Singh Rubal told IANS, "I want to gift these to them as they will be taking oath tomorrow. It's a matter of great pride to see Kamala Harris becoming Vice President."

Rubal who had received a letter of appreciation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his portrait, further said it is a proud moment for India since Kamala Harris, whose mother was from Tamil Nadu, is set to be sworn-in as the Vice President of the United States on Wednesday.

It took 20 days for Rubal to complete the portraits painted meticulously on a joint canvas using acrylic colours.

The inauguration ceremony titled 'Celebrating America' is scheduled to take place on January 20 at the US Capitol in Washington.

The ceremony is set to be a star-studded event with celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga, Jon Bon Jovi and many others performing on the occasion.

Meanwhile, the US Capitol Hill went into a temporary lockdown on Monday after a fire broke out under a nearby bridge.

Ahead of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration ceremony, the US Capitol has been turned into a military zone. Elaborate security arrangements have been made in the wake of the Capitol Hill riots.

( With inputs from ANI )