Trump draws flak for leaving out Hindus in Diwali tweets

United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday made a resounding error while tweeting about the Diwali celebrations at the White House.

In a glaring error, President Trump completely missed out mentioning the main and largest religious group which celebrates Diwali, that is, Hindus, while giving out his Diwali greetings.

Taking to micro-blogging site Twitter, Trump wrote, "Today, we gathered for Diwali, a holiday observed by Buddhists, Sikhs, and Jains throughout the United States and around the world. Hundreds of millions of people have gathered with family and friends to light the Diya and to mark the beginning of a New Year."

Along with the tweet, President Trump also shared pictures of him participating in the Diwali ceremonial lighting of the Diya and a YouTube link of the celebrations.

 

The mistake of missing Hindu religious group was immediately pointed out to the US President by Twitteratis. A large number of Twitter users criticised Trump by commenting upon his tweet or quoting it to point out the error.

In a follow-up tweet posted a little later, Trump, however, rectified his mistake and recognised Diwali as the Hindu Festival of Lights.

"It was my great honor to host a celebration of Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights, in the Roosevelt Room at the @WhiteHouse this afternoon. Very, very special people!," he tweeted.

Delivering a short address during the Diwali celebrations, Trump called India-US relations as a "bulwark for freedom, prosperity, and peace".

"The United States has deep ties to the nation of India, and I am grateful for my friendship with Prime Minister Modi. We're trying very hard to make better trade deals with India, but they're very good traders," he further asserted.

India's Ambassador to the United States, Navtej Singh Sarna, was also present at the event along with his wife, Avina Sarna.

Diwali, also known as Deepawali, is one of the most celebrated festivals in India. The festival this year was celebrated on November 7. On this day, people burst firecrackers, light lamps and exchange sweets.