NEW DELHI: A hardline Hindu group in India on Tuesday prayed for Donald Trump's enemies to be “eliminated”, days after a failed assassination attempt on the US presidential candidate.
About a dozen members of the Hindu Army activist group sat inside a temple in the capital, New Delhi, to perform a ritual around an open fire, chanting prayers for Trump's victory in the November election.
An idol of Ganesh, the Hindu deity of luck and wisdom with an elephant head, was placed next to the photographs of Trump to grant him good fortune.
“We pray that Donald Trump's enemies be eliminated and that he be granted special blessings,” said Vishnu Gupta, the group's head. AFP.
The little-known group has celebrated Trump's birthday every year since he entered politics and also prayed for his victory during his last election contest against President Joe Biden.
Recent polls in the United States show that the Republican billionaire's chances of beating Biden in November have increased since the assassination attempt on him last weekend.
Trump was confirmed as the likely Republican nominee at the party's convention in Milwaukee on Monday, sporting a bandaged ear due to a wound sustained in the attack.
He and Modi forged a strong friendship while in office, and the two stood on stage together in front of more than 100,000 people in India during Trump's final term.
