A major row has erupted after Brandon Gill shared the purported video of Indians celebrating Chhath Puja in Texas.
The Hindu American Foundation responded to the major row over a viral clip of Indians observing Chhath Puja in Texas and questioned whether Congressman Brandon Gill had nothing else to worry about apart from milk being poured into water — at a time when an actual war is going on. Rep Brandon Gill, who is married to an Indian-origin Danielle D’Souza, raised concern over the water pollution and called the celebrations ‘Third-world religious ceremonies’. “I don’t want Third World religious ceremonies taking place in my community’s public waterways,” Gill commented, sharing a video of a couple pouring milk into a waterbody as a makeshift puja arrangement can be seen behind, teeming with worshippers. “Chhat Puja in Denton, Texas. Pouring milk straight into the lake is not okay. This pollutes our local waterways and harms fish and aquatic life,” the social media user who posted the video wrote. The video is not independently verified. “Texas has 3 million cattle being fed for slaughter on feedlots as of early 2023. Their runoff is one of the largest causes of nutrient & bacterial water pollution. But @realBrandonGill is worried about a glass of milk. Isn’t there like an actual war to worry about?” Hindu American Foundation executive director Suhag A Shukla wrote, commenting on the social media uproar. The video went viral at a time when Indians are coming under attack in the US, especially in Texas, because of what Americans and MAGA influencers call an Indian takeover of US cities. TikTok videos of Indians dancing at various prominent locations in the US are being shared to call them out over how they are unwilling to assimilate into US culture. Reacting to Shukla’s jibe at Gill, many social media users pointed out that she should not justify one wrong with another. “It’s not the glass of milk, it’s Indians not assimilating and invading America. We don’t want them here or your culture,” another user wrote.