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Trump says he is not racist
Washington, Jan 15 (IANS) US President Donald Trump has said he was not a racist after he was criticized over his “sh**hole” characterisation of African countries.
“Nah, I’m not a racist. I’m the least racist person you have ever interviewed, that I can tell you,” a report in the Washington Post quoted Trump as saying.
According to people present in the Oval Office meeting last week, Trump was frustrated that migrants from El Salvador, Haiti and certain African countries were allowed into the US.
“Why are we having all these people from s**thole countries come here,” he said, evoking sharp criticism.
Interestingly, Senators Tom Cotton and David Perdue, who were present when Trump made the vulgar remarks against poor countries, had earlier said they could not recall if Trump had used a word like “sh**hole”. However, on Sunday they clearly denied that Trump had said so.
“The White House did not dispute Trump’s use of the vulgarity. Trump offered a vague denial in a tweet on Friday, and not until Cotton and Perdue spoke on Sunday did another participant challenge whether Trump had used the word ‘sh**hole’,” the Post reported.
The UN’s human rights office on Friday said derogatory remarks made by US President Donald Trump regarding the nations of El Salvador and Haiti were “racist”.
Rupert Colville, a spokesperson for the United Nation High Commissioner for Human Rights, condemned Trump’s characterisation of the two countries as “s**tholes” during a meeting on Thursday with lawmakers on a bipartisan immigration deal, Efe news agency reported.
“These comments by the President of the US are surprising and shameful,” Colville said. “I’m sorry, but they cannot be defined as anything other than racist.”
Trump also denied that he had spoiled chances for an immigration overhaul in Congress by using a derogatory term to describe few poor countries.
In a tweet on Sunday, Trump said the Obama-era immigration programme “DACA” is “probably dead”, despite the federal government resumed accepting applications for the same on Saturday.
DACA is the acronym of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a 2012 programme that gave foreigners who entered the US as minors a legal permit to reside and work in the country.
“DACA is probably dead because the Democrats don’t really want it, they just want to talk and take desperately needed money away from our Military,” Trump tweeted.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.