Members of a right-wing Hindu group have begun praying for the victory of Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican candidate for the presidential race in the U.S., in the November elections. The Hindu Sena performed a havan at New Delhi's Jantar Mantar on Wednesday for Trump.
The group, which sees Trump as a saviour of "humanity from Islam and Islamic terror," is critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's stand on Islam.
"We believe Islam and Islamic terror are cancerous to the world. India has suffered too long because of this. Trump believes the same thing... that's why we are praying for his victory," Hindu Sena chief Vishnu Gupta was quoted as saying by the Indian Express.
He also added that he was disappointed with Modi for saying that Islam was a religion of peace at World Sufi Forum held in March 2016.
"The Prime Minister's influence can only go so far. The American president's influence can go to Iraq and Syria. We want him to finish Islamic terror where it is coming from," Gupta told the Times of India.
The Hindutva group performed a havan that lasted around an hour and put tilak on their "hero" Trump's photo. They had a pandit with them to conduct the rituals and posters with Trump's photo that they waved.
They told the Indian Express that they were against Hilary Clinton for being secular and doesn't have a plan for "tackling Muslims."
Gupta, a staunch anti-cow slaughter activist, said that Trump's dietary inclinations were "not relevant here."
"This is about Islamic terror," he told the TOI.
Meanwhile, Trump softened his stance on banning Muslims from entering the U.S. He had earlier said that he would ban Muslims from entering the U.S. temporarily for the nation's security. However, on Wednesday, he said that the ban was only a suggestion after newly-elected mayor of London Sadiq Khan said that he wouldn't be allowed to visit the country if Trump was president. Trump had said that he would make an exception for Khan, which the latter refused.
