White House contender Donald Trump lights a lamp at the rally organised by Republican Hindu Coalition | PTI
CHENNAI: “I am a big fan of Hindu, and I am a big fan of India,” said Donald Trump on Sunday at a rally organised by the Republican Hindu Coalition (RHC) in New Jersey. This was just hours after he proclaimed he would “unite America under one god” at another rally of mostly white Americans in Maine.
The RHC rally, called “humanity united against terror”, was no ordinary event. It brought together Indian actors like Malaika Arora and Prabhu Deva with the most controversial politician of the season - Trump - for a rally against terrorism. “One of the sequences perfectly encapsulated the tone of the rally.
Two pairs of romantic dancers were attacked by ‘jihadists’ with light sabers, only to be rescued by US Navy Seals,” reported media outlet Scroll on the side events. Declaring he would be a “true friend of the Indian and Hindu community”, Trump praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a pro-growth leader. “I’m a big fan of Hindu(ism) and a big fan of India. If I’m elected, the Indian and Hindu community will have a true friend in the White House.”
Not surprisingly, ‘Islamic terrorism’ dominated his speech addressed to his ‘true Hindu friends’. “We will beat Islamic terrorism. This is so important in the age of ISIS, the barbaric threat Hillary Clinton has unleashed on the entire world,” he thundered.
Shalabh Kumar, RHC founder and one of Trump’s biggest backers claimed Trump was all about ‘development, prosperity and job growth’. This, however, completely contradicts Trump’s position on Indians eating into American jobs. The US media was obviously excited by the event as most polls show that nearly 70 per cent of Indian Americans support the Democrats. “That Prabhudeva and other Indian stars would effectively introduce Trump came as a surprise to many,” the Washington Post reported.
