Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
NEW YORK, 26th Sept. Democrat Taral V Patel, 29 an Indian-American policy expert on Monday has said that he has been receiving hate-filled messages targeting his ethnicity, nationality, and faith on social media who is running for Fort Bend County Commissioner in the state of Texas,.
Democrat Taral V Patel, is running to flip the Precinct 3 seat held by Republican Andy Meyer said ‘racist’, ‘anti-immigrant’, ‘Hinduphobic’ and ‘disgusted insults’ were hurled at him and his family, community, and colleagues.
Patel said in a statement released that as a county commissioner candidate, he is open to criticism of my policy positions and stances on issues.
Patel stated “However, when my Republican opponents supporters’ decide to hurl racist, anti-immigrant, Hinduphobic, or otherwise disgusting insults at my family, faith community, colleagues, and me — that crosses a line,”.
He wrote on X “sharing a collage of screenshots of hate-filled messages, on X (formerly Twitter):stated “unfortunately, we are facing a barrage of racist attacks”, Patel also shared a collage of screenshots of hate-filled messages on X (formerly Twitter), some of which called him a “dirty Pakistani who supports terrorists”, “was he even born here” to “foreigners like you trying to take away my freedom and guns”.
His parents immigrated to the US from India in the 1980s. Patel grew up in Greater Houston, studying at Cinco Ranch High School and graduating from University of Texas at Austin in 2016.
He was appointed by President Joe Biden in 2021 to serve as a liaison for the White House.
Patel stated “As the son of immigrants who flocked to these shores like many before us in search of freedom and opportunity, I have dedicated my life to giving back as an active volunteer, community member, and lifelong public servant,”.
According to his campaign website, Patel has helped lead Fort Bend county successfully through numerous flooding incidents, the Covid-19 pandemic, winter storm Uri and electric grid failure, droughts, and other major emergencies to emerge stronger and more united than ever before.
“Fort Bend County’s diversity has made us all stronger, and these hateful images, a small sample attached here, are from a place of deep and misguided fear — incited by people like former President Donald Trump and today’s extremist Republican party fear that immigrants are “taking their jobs” and setting out to hurt our own communities,” Patel said.
Fort Bend County Judge KP George, an Indian-American who has been a victim of xenophobic comments in the past, said there is no room for hate in the community responded to the hate-filled comments.
George wrote on X “Please join me unequivocally pushing back against this kind of hatred and vile language in Fort Bend County. We stand with @TaralVPatel. Simply put, there is no room for hate in our community”.
Patel has worked in the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division in the public integrity section, as the deputy finance director.
He was a member of the White House Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Committee.
