Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna.
Credit: Facebook/ @RepRoKhanna
Washington: Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna has slammed Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, saying he was "dangerous to our democracy" and accusing him and his party of offering "zero solutions" to the real issues faced by Americans.
Indian-origin businessman Ramaswamy, 38, on Wednesday night appeared on a CNN town hall in Iowa during which he responded to questions on immigration, border security, his religion, and economic inequality.
President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign responded to the town hall remarks of Ramaswamy with a statement from Representative Ro Khanna, a 47-year-old Democrat.
“Vivek’s podcast of a campaign would be funny if it weren’t so deeply dangerous to our democracy,” Khanna, said on Wednesday after a CNN town hall of Ramaswamy, an Indian American running for the Republican Party’s presidential ticket along with former president Donald Trump and ex-governor of South Carolina Nikky Haley.
“His town hall tonight was an exercise in bombastic rhetoric, offering zero solutions to the real issues that Americans demand action on. It's a shame that instead of trying to focus on the issues as he did with me at St. Anselm, he chose to engage in sensationalism for clicks that has become the currency to get ahead in today’s Republican Party,” Khanna, the Congressman from Silicon Valley, who is supporting President Joe Biden in his re-election bid, said.
“This is an unserious party,” Khanna said.
He asserted, “I’m proud to support Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Together, Democrats have been able to deliver on historic legislation for the American people, and if re-elected, we will build on these successes on issues such as abortion rights, gun violence, better jobs, and lower costs – you know, the actual issues that matter to the American people.”
During the town hall, Ramaswamy said he would send undocumented migrants back to their countries of origin if elected president. “I do believe that anybody who's in this country illegally needs to be returned to their country of origin,” he said in response to a question.
“I want to implement, I would say the best border policies of all, which is ending the illegal incentives to be here. End birthright citizenship for the kids of illegal migrants to whom the 14th Amendment does not apply,” he said.