Nassau Assembly Candidate Jha Apologizes For Anti-Muslim, Sikh Tweets

NASSAU COUNTY, NY — The Republican candidate for Assembly District 16, Vibhuti Jha, apologized last week for Twitter posts that his opponent, Gina Sillitti, called "hateful rhetoric."

Jha's tweets, recovered by Newsday, were written between 2019 and February 2022.

One post said: "The 'asylum' racket for US immigration by Sikhs is real — it must be exposed. Those fake asylum seeks are 'required to' stand and protest ANY thing against India!"

A Feb. 16, 2022 tweet read: "Islam might consider fighting its own definition of who they are! That will help the rest of humanity!!"

Jha issued a statement of apology to Newsday on Friday:

Asked about the tweets, Jha responded with a statement to Newsday late Friday, saying he was "deeply sorry" for them.
"My goals and priorities in life are focused on bringing people together and celebrating diversity. What's more, I am focused on supporting different views and perspectives," said Jha, a strategic adviser at the Seattle-based Human Potential Project, a management consulting company.

Jha is running against incumbent Democrat Gina Sillitti.

She said in a statement that it was "disappointing and concerning to discover that my opponent has been spewing hateful rhetoric towards our Muslim and Sikh neighbors for years."