Donald Trump is the 45th president of the USA and this is seen as a positive step among Indian-Americans and Hindus in India. The US president has said that he will have a new relationship with India. In addition, Trump has business interests in India with Trump Towers under construction in Pune, Mumbai, and Gurgaon. The extreme right-wing Hindus have always aligned with Donald Trump as he had on a number of occasions identified Islam as a source of terrorism. The Hindu extreme right-wing feels Islam is a threat to India. Donald is the first president who has gone on television and stated that he loved India and wants to help fight terrorism.
No president during an election campaign has ever said this on TV. Harry Walia, a member of Trump's Asian-American and Pacific Islanders committee, agrees that no American president in living memory during an election campaign stated on TV that he will help India to fight terrorism.
Hindu support
Trump has a groundswell of support among Hindus in India. Earlier also, right-wing Hindu organization Hindu-Sena held a prayer meeting and conducted "Havan" (burning of incense in a sacred fire to propitiate the gods to help Donald win). The BJP party in power is naturally inclined toward Trump, as this party (which is identified as a Hindu revivalist party) has long felt that Muslims do not integrate with the Indian aspirations.
Trump and India
There were many Indian-Americans attending Trump's inauguration in Washington, and the Indian ambassador Navtej Sarna represented India at the swearing in ceremony. Despite a lot of divisive politics in the USA, with many against Donald, the mood of Indians is up-beat. Mukesh Aghi, president of the US-India Business Council has said that with Trump in power, bilateral trade will go up from 100 billion to 500 billion dollars. The Hindus who form 85% of the population of India will also be hoping that Donald will help India crack Islamic terror and rein in Pakistan, which is sponsoring cross-border terrorism in Kashmir.
