Hillary Clinton is the "best" Presidential candidate to boost Indo-US ties as she understands India and its culture well, Indian-American hotelier Sant Singh Chatwal has said while questioning her rival Donald Trump's ability "to run a country".
Mr Chatwal, who has been a close friend of the Clintons for years, said the former Secretary of State has supported India and the Indian-American community on vital issues like immigration and the India-US nuclear deal.
"Clinton understands India, the Indian culture. Indian- Americans should vote for the candidate who will grow Indo-US relations," Mr Chatwal told the Press Trust of India. The Chairman of the groups 'Indian-Americans for Democrats' and 'Friends of Hillary for President' said the Republican candidate "does not have the experience to run a country and deal with the world."
Mr Chatwal, who has been a financial supporter for Clinton in her previous campaigns for the Senate, said Trump has been a "very successful businessman", but has filed for bankruptcy thrice and avoided paying taxes by reporting nearly a billion dollars in losses. He said a Trump Presidency will be catastrophic for the markets and wipe out trillions of dollars from the US economy.
A pictorial collage of the Clinton and Chatwal families together at various social gatherings, titled 'Hillary-Chatwal since 1991' was displayed at Mr Chatwal's luxurious hotel in Manhattan.
Indian-Americans have traditionally supported the Democratic Party and Trump has been trying to woo the community to make a dent in its vote bank. In a campaign ad, Trump borrowed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 2014 general elections slogan -- "Ab ki Baar Trump Sarkar."
"India is not only for Hindus; India has Sikhs, Christians, Muslims and Buddhists. India has a large Muslim population, Trump does not know that," Mr Chatwal said taking a dig at Trump's "big fan of Hindus" comment at the rally in New Jersey organized last month by the Republican Hindu Coalition in support of Trump.
He criticised Trump for his views on immigration saying his policies will rip families apart. Mr Chatwal said prominent Indian-Americans like wellness guru Deepak Chopra, industrialist Sunil Mittal, community leader Bhupi Patel among others had voiced their support for Clinton.
