AFP, Washington

India has criticised as inappropriate a post by US President Donald Trump that called the South Asian country a “hellhole.”

The comments come ahead of a planned visit next month to India by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who would seek to turn the page on recent tensions between the normally friendly powers.

Trump late Wednesday posted on social media a screed apparently written by someone else denouncing the US constitutional right to citizenship for everyone born in the country.

The post accused Indian immigrants in the tech industry of not hiring white native-born Americans and inaccurately alleged that Indian immigrants lack English proficiency.

“A baby here becomes an instant citizen, and then they bring the entire family in from China or India or some other hellhole on the planet,” the post said.

Indian foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal responded that the remarks were “obviously uninformed, inappropriate and in poor taste.”

“They certainly do not reflect the reality of the India-US relationship, which has long been based on mutual respect and shared interests.”

Congressman Ami Bera, a Democrat who is the children of Indian immigrants, called the post by Trump “offensive, ignorant and beneath the dignity of the office he holds.”

SEE PAGE 11 COL 5