MEA has strongly criticised US President Donald Trump's 'hellhole' remark about India in the context of immigration, calling it uninformed and inappropriate, raising concerns about India-US relations.
Key Points
- India has responded to US President Donald Trump's social media repost that referred to India as a 'hellhole'.
- The External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal called the remarks 'uninformed, inappropriate and in poor taste'.
- The US embassy attempted to mitigate the damage, stating that Trump considers India a 'great' country.
- The controversy arose from comments made by American radio show host Michael Savage regarding birthright citizenship and immigration from countries like India and China.
India on Thursday described as 'uninformed' and 'inappropriate' a social media repost by United States President Donald Trump that referred to India and some other countries as 'hellholes' in the context of immigration.
India's Official Response to Trump's Comments
India's response came after a controversy was created by Trump reposting comments by American radio show host Michael Savage that contained derogatory references to India.
Savage had made the comments in the context of a case in the US supreme court challenging birthright citizenship.
US Embassy Attempts Damage Control
The US embassy sought to control the damage caused by the remarks as it put out a message that Trump believes India is a 'great' country led by a 'good friend of mine'.
"We have seen the comments, as also the subsequent statement issued by the US embassy in response," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
"The remarks are obviously uninformed, inappropriate and in poor taste. They certainly do not reflect the reality of the India-US relationship, which has long been based on mutual respect and shared interests," he said.
Trump's Stance on India
Earlier, the spokesperson at the US embassy said: "The President has said 'India is a great country with a very good friend of mine at the top'."
The embassy spokesperson, however, did not specify where and when Trump made the remarks that India is a great country.
The Controversy
In his comments, Savage argued that the current legal system allows immigrants to exploit American laws by arriving in the 'ninth month of their pregnancy'.
Such practices create a loophole where a baby here becomes an instant citizen, and then they bring the entire family in from 'China or India or some other hellhole on the planet', he claimed.
The US constitution grants citizenship to those born in the country, a principle known as birthright citizenship.
The remarks made by the radio host and reposted by the then US President touched on sensitive issues related to immigration policies and the perception of certain nations.
The Indian government's response underscores the importance of maintaining respectful diplomatic relations between the two countries.
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