US President Donald Trump has come under fire for not raising the issue of anti-Muslim riots in the Indian capital New Delhi that coincided with his two-day official trip to the South Asian country.
Many US lawmakers have reacted sharply to the violence in Delhi, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders being one of them.
Slamming Trump, Sanders said the US president's statement regarding the violence in India during his visit was a "failure of leadership".
Asked about incidents of violence during his India visit, the US president had said, "As far as the individual attacks [are concerned], I heard about it, but I didn't discuss that with him [Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi]. That's up to India [to deal with it]."
The US Democratic presidential candidate called Trump's choosing to not address this grave issue as "a failure of leadership on human rights".
Quoting a Washington Post news article in a tweet, Bernie Sanders said, "Over 200 million Muslims call India home. Widespread anti-Muslim mob violence has killed at least 27 and injured many more.
"[When asked about it,] Trump responds by saying, 'That's up to India.' This is a failure of leadership on human rights."
A key leader of the ruling Indian party BJP (Bhartia Janta Party) responded to Sanders tweet by issuing a threat.
BJP National General Secretary (Organisation) BL Santhosh in his tweet said that Sanders was "compelling" them to "play a role in presidential elections".
The leader of the rightwing Hindu party later deleted his tweet however.
At least 35 people have been killed in communal riots that broke out on Sunday, just ahead of Trump's arrival in India.
A large majority of those killed in the violence are Muslims who were targeted by Hindu mobs for protesting against an anti-Muslim law, the so-called Citizenship Amendment Act.
Besides killing Muslims and torching their houses, Hindu extremists have desecrated several mosques in the city.
The discriminatory law has invited reaction from almost all over India, with many moderate Hindus and members of other religious communities taking part in protest demonstrations against the extremist policies of Modi Government.
Earlier, Senator Elizabeth Warren spoke against the violence in New Delhi. Other influential senators too expressed concern over the developments on Wednesday.
"We are alarmed by the recent violence in New Delhi. We continue to support an open dialogue on issues of significant concern in order to advance our vital long-term relationship," Senator Mark Warner from the Democratic Party and John Cornyn from the GOP said in a joint statement.
Warner and Cornyn are co-chairs of the Senate India Caucus, the largest country-specific caucus in the US Senate.
Congressman Jamie Raskin said he was horrified by the violence, which was fueled by religious hatred and fanaticism.
"Liberal democracies must protect religious freedom and pluralism, and avoid the path of discrimination and bigotry," the Congressman said.
Richard N Hass, who heads the powerful Council on Foreign Relations, said the reason for India's relative success has been that its large Muslim minority saw itself as Indian. "But this is at risk owing to govt attempts to exploit identity politics for political advantage," he said.
Earlier, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom urged the Government of India to take swift action for the safety of its citizens.
Expressing "grave concern" over the violence, the US body said the Indian government should provide protection to people regardless of their faith amid reports of the attacks on Muslims.