In Texas, U.S. Republican Senate candidate Alexander Duncan has ignited controversy after calling the 90-foot Lord Hanuman statue at the Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple a “false Hindu God.” In his original post, Duncan wrote: “Why are we allowing a false statue of a false Hindu God to be here in Texas? We are a CHRISTIAN nation!” The comment drew immediate backlash from Indian-American communities and the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), who condemned it as anti-Hindu and inflammatory.