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New Delhi: In a tweet since deleted, BJP national general secretary B.L. Santhosh Thursday said India is “compelled” to play a role in the US presidential elections despite its efforts to be “neutral”.

Santosh posted his tweet at 7.45 am in response to US presidential candidate and Democrat Bernie Sanders’ tweet on “anti-Muslim mob violence” in Delhi that has killed over 30 so far.

The BJP leader’s tweet is now unavailable.

The national capital has seen riots break out in some localities of Northeast Delhi since Sunday, leaving over 30 dead, including a police constable, and over 150 injured.

The violence started just before US President Donald Trump arrived in India for the first time for a two-day India visit Monday. The riots, which started amid protests against the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), continued during the US President’s visit.

‘Up to India’

According to US news website TheHill, Bernie Sanders’ comments were meant to condemn US President Donald Trump’s reaction to the violence.

At a press meet after his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday, Trump had said, “The PM said he wants people to have religious freedom. They have worked really hard on it… I heard about the individual attacks (in Delhi) but I did not discuss it. It is up to India.”

On the issue of CAA, he said, “I won’t discuss the CAA, I’ll leave that up to India and hopefully they will do the right thing…”

On Monday, Trump was in Gujarat capital Ahmedabad to attend ‘Namaste Trump’, a mega event similar to the ‘Howdy Modi!’ rally held in Houston last year for PM Modi.

At the Ahmedabad event, Trump praised Indian Americans saying, “Nearly one in four Indian Americans trace their roots right here in Gujarat. Gujarat is a special place.”

Trump is seeking re-election in the upcoming US presidential elections on 3 November 2020.

Also read: Delhi’s ‘worst communal violence in decades’ eclipses Trump trip in global media

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