In the latest news, Tulsi Gabbard has claimed that she has been targetted over her Hindu name by some media outlets and also accused her of being a ‘Hindu nationalist’. The Democratic presidential aspirant who is the first Hindu elected to the US Congress, wrote her personal opinion in a local publication and described the campaign against her as “profiling and targeting of Hindu Americans and ascribing to them motives without any basis”.
“My meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India’s democratically elected leader, have been highlighted as ‘proof’ of this and portrayed as somehow being out of the ordinary or somehow suspect, even though President (Barack) Obama, Secretary (Hillary) Clinton, President (Donald) Trump and many of my colleagues in Congress have met with and worked with him,” Gabbard said in her opinion piece in the Religious News Services.
She had further announced that she would be contesting for the upcoming 2020 Presidential elections. “I am proud to be the first Hindu-American to have been elected to Congress, and now, the first Hindu-American to run for president,” she wrote.
“And, while the headlines covering my announcement could have celebrated this historic first, maybe even informed Americans at large about the world’s third-largest religion, some have instead fomented suspicion, fear and religious bigotry about not only me but also my supporters,” Hawaii lawmaker said, adding, that India was America’s closest partner in Asia and a country of huge significance in geopolitics.
“The strategic partnership between our two countries has been a priority for several decades now. To question my commitment to my country, while not questioning non-Hindu leaders, creates a double standard that can only be rooted in one thing: ‘religious bigotry’. I am Hindu and they are not,” Gabbard said.
It has been said that she is a US Army veteran and also a native of American Samoa. Tulsi Gabbard is a U.S Democrat Representative from Hawaii where former President Barack Obama was brought up there.
Tulsi Gabbard, who is a practising Hindu, is widely respected and admired by Hindu Americans. She was elected to the U.S Congress in 2012 and once she makes an official announcement, she will become the first ever Hindu to contest for the Presidential elections. “I look forward to being able to get into this and to talk about it in depth when we make our announcement.” Gabbard had further said to the CNN anchor.
