When you hear some one saying ” I am a big fan of Hindu” , most Indians especially in the south may think the person was talking about the 138 year old Indian English language newspaper with Left liberal leanings, “The Hindu”.

Mr Trump in his final attempt to consolidate as much votes as possible was praising  Hinduism, a religion with thousands of gods, followed by a sizeable number of Asian Indian voters in USA.

The irony was on the same day few hours before the Hindu Republican Coalition meeting, Trump was claiming in another meeting with mostly White audience that he will unite the country under one god.

On the same day that the Republican presidential nominee told a mostly white crowd in Maine that he would unite the United States under “one god,” he appeared in front of a crowd of thousands of people of Indian extraction and lit a Hindu ceremonial candle.

“I am a big fan of Hindu and a big fan of India,” he said, to loud cheers from a crowd composed of many American citizens, but also many, who are at various stages along the path to citizenship or just visiting from India.

Flyers distributed in the meeting even blamed HIllary for killing of cows.

 

Getting a Green card to become a permanent resident of USA is the dream of most Indians. So the Trump rally prominently displayed signs showing “Trump for faster Green Card”.

At the same time a White woman in the audience had this to say.

We need to close immigration right now, and get to work assimilating the ones who we already let in. We cannot let anymore in until we figure out what is going on,” said Janiszak, who claimed her own family had been in America since 1658, “before it was a country.”

So whose wishes Trump will heed if he becomes President ? That of the  Whites who want to stop immigration or that of Hindu Right wingers desperate to get green cards for themselves and their friends and relatives ?

Most probably that question need not be answered as there will never be a “Trump Administration”.  Even many Indians who attended the Trump rally came to see the cinema and music celebrities from India.

Many who were present said they were not aware that the event was meant to have any political overtones. For more than two hours before Trump’s speech, the convention center where the rally took place witnessed a celebration of Bollywood culture, much of which took place in Indian languages. That cinematic masala, or verve, is what many said made the event alluring — not Trump.

“I am here to see Prabhudeva,” said Kashyap Patel, 29, who is a green-card holder working for a pharmaceuticals company in Piscataway, N.J. Prabhudeva is a major celebrity, known for his intricate dancing style and commonly thought of as India’s answer to Michael Jackson. “I think most people came for entertainment purposes. My focus is to see Prabhudeva and then leave.”

Asian Indians in America historically vote overwhelmingly for Democratic Party candidates. This year also it is not any different. 67% of Indians said they will vote for Clinton while only 7% said they will vote for Trump.

It seems Trump’s newly found love for ‘Hindu’ and India will be of no use to him electorally.