What US envoy to India thinks of Trump'isms'

Donald Trump, the Republican presidential front-runner, could be seizing upon "fear" and "anger" among American people for poll gains instead of hope and a promise for a better future, US envoy Richard Verma has said.

Sounding critical of certain comments by Trump, Verma said his remarks against Muslims and immigrants were "widely condemned" across America's political spectrum.

"We are in a campaign season and I would just obviously take what is said during a campaign with a grain of salt. Secondly, those comments that Mr Trump uttered have been widely condemned across the political spectrum. From the far right to far left those comments were critiqued and condemned," the Ambassador told NDTV.

Replying to a question, Verma suggested Trump was trying to capitalise on fear and anger of American people for electoral benefits.

"I think there is still a lot of economic insecurity. I think people are concerned about the growing gap. Sometimes they see it upon people that go to what I would call lowest common denominator politics and seize upon fear and anger instead of hope and a promise for a better future," he said, while referring to some of the controversial comments of Trump.

Trump's popularity rating had soared after his anti-Muslim rhetoric in which he called for banning all Muslims from entering the US to ensure security for American people.

Verma suggested that the kind of politics Trump was resorting to was not what ideally American people looked for.

"What really inspired me is the politics that lifted people up brought people together and gave people hope and unified the country.

"That's the kind of politics that attracted not only parents but millions of people around the world to the US. And the US has been a beacon of hope.

"It's been a beacon of freedom, country of immigrants, diversity. I believe that is the character of American people. That's what our country was build on. Frankly our two countries were built very similarly and constitution's notion of celebrating diversity," the envoy said.

Replying to a question, he said, whoever comes to power in Washington succeeding President Barack Obama, one of the priority relationship for the new administration would be India.

He said there has been bi-partisan support for Washington's deeper relationship with India.