US lawmaker calls out Trump over India defense deal

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

ANKARA (AA) - Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slammed U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday for an arms deal with India.

"President Trump is signing arms deals with Modi while his administration is ethnically cleansing the country’s religious minorities," the Democratic lawmaker tweeted. "We must not enable this rise in sectarian violence." Ocasio-Cortez serves in New York.

Trump on his maiden visit to India last month signed defense, energy and telecom deals.

India will buy attack helicopters and other U.S. military equipment worth $3 billion.

His visit was marred by the deadliest religious unrest in the Indian capital in decades.

In addition to 47 fatalities, shops, schools and homes were burned as thugs terrorized northeast New Delhi residents for four days police, criticized for their slow reaction, managed to get things under control.

The trigger to the violence was allegedly a hate speech by a politician of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party against peaceful protesters disapproving of India’s new citizenship law.

The controversial legislation grants citizenship to non-Muslim migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Critics say it is discriminating to Muslims.