Indian-origin US Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi has hit back at a Florida city councilman after he was told to “take your curry and go home”, saying America is his home and that no one can decide who belongs in the country.Palm Bay City Councilman Chandler Langevin directed the remark at Krishnamoorthi in a post on X, writing, “I won Rajesh. Take your curry and go home.”Krishnamoorthi, a Democrat representing Illinois, responded: “I’m staying. So is the curry. America is my home. No bigot gets to decide who is American, who belongs here, or what they have for dinner. That’s the America I’ll always fight for.”The latest exchange came days after Krishnamoorthi criticised a Department of Homeland Security social media post featuring a man identified as “Mr. Singh”. The DHS post, styled as a movie poster, told “Mr. Singh” to “get off our roads” and warned him to “self-deport or find out”.Krishnamoorthi said the post demonised a name shared by more than 160,000 people in the US and said Sikh and South Asian Americans were “as American as anyone”.Krishnamoorthi’s remarks came amid renewed attention on Langevin, who has repeatedly made comments about Indian immigrants and the Indian American community.
What did Chandler Langevin say about Indians?
Langevin, a Palm Bay City Council member, came under scrutiny in 2025 over social media posts targeting Indian immigrants. He called for the deportation of Indians and later directed several posts at Krishnamoorthi after the congressman criticised his remarks.In one post, Langevin described Krishnamoorthi as a “foreign occupier” and mocked his name, while referring to his country of origin as “Tatooine”, the fictional planet from the Star Wars franchise.Krishnamoorthi responded that he was born in India, raised in Illinois and elected by voters there.The Palm Bay City Council took action against Langevin in October 2025. On October 2, the council voted 4-1 to ask Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to suspend him from office.Later that month, it voted 3-2 to censure him. The restrictions included limiting his ability to introduce agenda items, speak during council reports and serve on city-appointed boards and committees.Langevin subsequently sued the city, arguing that his First Amendment rights had been violated.The case was settled in February 2026, with Palm Bay agreeing to a USD 55,000 settlement. Court records show the federal case was closed after the parties notified the court of the settlement.
Krishnamoorthi’s recent comments on South Asian Americans
Krishnamoorthi has repeatedly spoken out against social media posts targeting South Asian Americans.On September 10, he criticised the DHS “Mr. Singh” post, saying the government should not use its power to suggest that someone’s faith, heritage or identity means they do not belong in the US.He also recently criticised a social media post by Texas Republican Railroad Commission nominee Bo French that featured South Asian students at the University of Texas. Krishnamoorthi said the students were being demonised based on their appearance.