'Every country has stupid people': Rubio on 'racist comments' towards Indians in US

'Every country in the world has stupid people. I'm sure there are stupid people here. There are stupid people in the United States that make dumb comments all the time,' Rubio replied.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio who is in India now was asked about the rise in racism against Indians in the United States.

During a joint media interaction with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in New Delhi, Rubio was caught off-guard by the question and dismissed it saying prejudice exists in every country, and should not be used to judge the country.

Rubio was asked by a reporter on his take on "racist comments coming from the US against Indians".

"There have been a lot of racist comments coming from the United States against Indians, Indian-Americans. This goes against the basic premise of India-US relationship. What's your take on that?" the reporter asked.

Giving a cautious reply, Rubio said, "I don't know how to address that, but I'll take that very seriously about the comments. I'm sure that there are people that have made comments online and other places."

"Every country in the world has stupid people. I'm sure there are stupid people here. There are stupid people in the United States that make dumb comments all the time. I don't know what else to tell you other than the United States is a very welcoming country," he further said.

Netizens however suggest that the question for Rubio could have been on President Donald Trump sharing a post last month that featured remarks by radio host Michael Savage, who had referred to India, China and some other countries as “hellholes”. The repost triggered criticism and raised concerns over the US administration’s stance.