An Ayodhya Temple Float recently came into controversy during the India Day celebrations in the US. There were many communities that claimed the float as anti-muslim. Some members of the Indian-American were against this celebration as well. However, a major portion of the Indian diaspora and Hindu community in the US participated in the parade in huge numbers.
The float was completely made of wood and it was shipped to the US from India by air cargo. Federation of Indian Associations, Organizers of the parade, spoke to the media and addressed this controversy. The Chairman of the Federation, Ankur Vaidya said that they got support and clearance from the New York Police Department and the Mayor before the India Day event.
Communal rifts have been on the rise in India. This news of Indian American communities being at odds with each other seems a mere reflection of the tensions in the homeland. Earlier this year, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom voiced its concern over the inauguration of the Ayodhya Temple on the ruins of Babri Mosque. But there is no official comment from any official body over this controversy in their own country.
