‘India shouldn’t be compared with China’

PTI New Delhi

Reacting to a social media post shared by US President Donald Trump that referred to India with a derogatory remark, a business leader of the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (IACC) on Tuesday said India is “not a hole”, but a “whole” in all respects, including in upholding the rule of law and moving towards economic prosperity.

“We are much better. We are not a hole, but whole in all respects, in adhering to democratic principles, upholding the rule of law and moving towards economic prosperity,” said Lalit Bhasin, former national president of the IACC.

The remarks were in response to a social media comment by American radio show host Michael Savage, shared by Trump last week, that referred to India and some other countries as “hellholes” in the context of immigration.

Hours after the post, a spokesperson of the US embassy in New Delhi sought to control the damage by putting out a message, saying, “India is a great country with a very good friend of mine at the top”. The Indian government, on Apr 23, termed the post as “uninformed” and “inappropriate”.

Speaking at the launch of the IACC Rajasthan chapter in the presence of Jonathan Heimer, Minister Counsellor for Commercial Affairs at the US Embassy, Bhasin said the US government must get a message, through Heimer, that India should not be compared with China.

“My request to Jonathan Heimer, which should be conveyed to the US government, is that India is not a ‘hellhole’. Please don't compare it with China,” Bhasin said.