US Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi slammed vice president JD Vance for his recent comments about his wife’s Hindu background, saying they contribute to a growing atmosphere of prejudice and anti-Hindu sentiment in the United States.“At a time when Hindu and Indian-American communities are confronting a climate of rising prejudice, talk of mass deportations, and growing anti-Hindu sentiment even against members of his own party, it’s deeply disappointing that the Vice President would add to that climate through his recent comments while remaining silent in the face of hate,” Krishnamoorthi said on X. Vance, who is married to Indian-American Usha Vance, made some controversial remarks during a public event at the University of Mississippi. Vance said he hoped Usha turned to Christianity and claimed that her Hindu background stems from “not a particularly religious family.” Responding to a question about his interfaith marriage, he said, “Now, most Sundays, Usha will come with me to church. As I’ve told her, and as I’ve said publicly, and as I’ll say now in front of 10,000 of my closest friends, do I hope, eventually, that she is somehow moved by the same thing that I was moved by in church? Yeah, I honestly do wish that because I believe in the Christian gospel and I hope eventually my wife comes to see it the same way. ”He added, “But if she doesn’t, then God says everybody has free will, and so that doesn’t cause a problem for me. That’s something you work out with your friends, with your family, with the person that you love.”Vance converted to Catholicism in 2019, describing Usha’s background, saying, “My wife did not grow up Christian. I think it’s fair to say that she grew up in a Hindu family, but not a particularly religious family in either direction.”His comments stirred a row. Canadian journalist Ezra Levant called them “disgusting” and accused Vance of disrespecting his wife’s faith. “It’s weird to throw your wife’s religion under the bus, in public, for a moment’s acceptance by groypers,” Levant wrote on X.Vance fired back, saying critics were twisting his words and that he loves his wife with all his heart. “My wife is the most amazing blessing I have in my life,” he wrote. “She is not a Christian and has no plans to convert… I hope she may one day see things as I do. Regardless, I’ll continue to love and support her.”
