Congress leader and former diplomat Mani Shankar Aiyar on Wednesday expressed his disappointment and concern over Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election, calling him a "man of doubtful character."
Speaking to the news agency ANI, Mr Aiyar said, "I feel extremely sorry that a man of such doubtful character as Donald Trump shouldn't have been elected the president of the world's most powerful democracy."
Mr Trump is accused in a case related to falsifying business records in a hush-money case involving adult film actor Stormy Daniels. The case centred on payments made to Ms Daniels just days before the 2016 presidential election.
"The moral dimension was missing. It's very saddening that such a powerful country will be led by such a man who has been convicted as a felon on 34 different counts and who has made an infamous name for himself by consorting with prostitutes and making payments to them to cover up for his sins. I don't think a man of such a character is good for either his country or the world," Mr Aiyar said.
Aiyar has been known for his candid and sometimes provocative opinions, which have sparked debates and discussions in Indian politics.
In the US presidential election, Trump, a Republican candidate, clinched a decisive victory over his Democratic rival Kamala Harris.
He will be sworn in as the 47th President of the United States, which will be his second term in this post.
Earlier, Trump was the President of the United States from 2016 to 2020. He had to face defeat in the election field for his second consecutive term from the then Democratic candidate Joe Biden.
A few months before the US presidential election, Biden withdrew from contesting for a second term, after which the Democratic Party declared Kamala Harris as its candidate.
This will be only the second instance of a president serving two non-consecutive terms in the White House, the first in over 100 years. Grover Cleveland served as a non-consecutive president in 1884 and 1892. Trump had earlier served as US President from 2016 to 2020.
Aiyar also expressed grief over Kamala Harris's defeat. He said that Kamala Harris, who would have won, would have been the first woman and the first politician from India to become president. This would have been a historic and positive step.
"As for Kamala Harris, she was given a very short time. She came up from behind. She was performing extremely well. But it seems that very deep faultlines in American society ultimately coalesced against her, and she lost in this race," said Aiyar.
