Kamal Ghorui
A day after US President Donald Trump reshared a social media post describing India as a “hell-hole”, Iran’s diplomatic mission in Mumbai and a formal protest from New Delhi. Iran’s consulate mocked the remark, saying “maybe someone should book a one-way cultural detox for Mr Trump, it might just reduce the random bakwaas,” adding, “Kabhi India aa ke dekho, phir bolna.”In response to the post, the ministry of external affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal called the comments “uninformed, inappropriate and in poor taste.” He said the remarks did not reflect the reality of India-US ties, which are based on “mutual respect and shared interests.” The controversy followed Trump’s repost of a transcript attributed to radio host Michael Savage, which compared India and China in derogatory terms while discussing immigration.The backlash prompted what appeared to be damage control by the US Embassy in New Delhi, which pointed to Trump’s earlier remarks calling India a “great country” led by a “good friend of mine,” referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Trump himself has repeatedly described Modi as a close ally, including after a recent phone call between the two leaders during tensions linked to the Iran conflict.Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge questioned Modi’s silence, accusing him of failing to respond to what he called an “insult” to India. In a post on X, Kharge asked why the government had not raised the matter at the highest level with Washington, adding that Indians had contributed significantly to America’s success.
