Indian-American Republican candidate for NY drict election apologises for his tweet targeting Muslims

An Indian-American Republican candidate, who is contesting for the upcoming general election to the New York State Assembly Drict 16, has apologised for a tweet targeting the Muslim community, saying his intent was never to hurt anyone.
Vibhuti Jha, 70, who has now deleted the tweet, is running against Democrat Gina Sillitti for the New York State Assembly Drict 16 elections to be held on Tuesday.
“I deleted a tweet that appeared several months ago forwarded someone to me! I believe some of the Muslim groups were unhappy about the content & comparison made therein. I u/s the joke didn’t go down well. I confirm the intent was never to hurt anyone,” Jha tweeted last week.
“I want to add I have very good Muslim friends – we share mutual respect for each other and share jokes and laughter in these difficult times. Friendship is all about sharing joy, anger and move the life forward. We have to face our challenges together,” he said.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Jha is the Managing Director of New York-based financial services firm Global Capital Service Group. He is also the co-founder of Relaxxapp, a mind and body fitness app.
New York’s 16th State Assembly drict is one of the 150 dricts in the New York State Assembly. It has been represented Sillitti since 2021.
Drict 16 is located in Nassau County within the town of North Hempstead. The drict includes the villages of Great Neck, North Hills, East Hills, Flower Hill, Old Westbury, Roslyn Estates, and Lake Success, as well as the hamlets of Roslyn Heights, Port Washington and Herricks.