NEW YORK (TIP): An Indian American Republican candidate, who is contesting for the upcoming general election for the New York State Assembly District 16, has apologized for a tweet targeting the Muslim community, saying his intent was never to hurt anyone.

Vibhuti Jha, 70, who has now deleted the tweet, is running against Democrat Gina Sillitti for the New York State Assembly District 16 elections to be held on Tuesday. “I deleted a tweet that appeared several months ago forwarded by someone to me! I believe some of the Muslim groups were unhappy about the content & comparison made therein. The joke didn’t go down well. I confirm the intent was never to hurt anyone,” Jha tweeted last week. “I want to add I have very good Muslim friends; we share mutual respect and share jokes and laughter in these difficult times. Friendship is all about sharing joy, anger and move life forward. We must face our challenges together,” he said. According to his LinkedIn profile, Jha is the Managing Director of New York-based financial services firm Global Capital Service Group. He is also the co-founder of Relaxxapp, a mind and body fitness app. New York’s 16th State Assembly district is one of the 150 districts in the New York State Assembly. It has been represented by Sillitti since 2021. District 16 is in Nassau County within the town of North Hempstead. The district includes the villages of Great Neck, North Hills, East Hills, Flower Hill, Old Westbury, Roslyn Estates, and Lake Success, as well as the hamlets of Roslyn Heights, Port Washington and Herricks.