A 90-foot statue of Bhagwan Hanuman in Sugar Land, Texas, has triggered a political and religious controversy after conservative YouTuber Jesse Hughes called for its removal. His remarks have drawn criticism from Hindu groups, veterans and members of the local community. The dispute has emerged as Texas faces a wider political debate over race, immigration and cultural identity ahead of the November midterm elections.

The Statue of Union stands at the Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple in Sugar Land. The monument, representing Bhagwan Hanuman, was consecrated in August 2024. Some Christian conservatives have criticised the statue as “unChristian”. The latest controversy began after Hughes posted a photograph of the statue and wrote, “Btw, when we win, we are tearing this down.”

His comment triggered a strong response from Ruchir Bakshi, a US Army veteran and American-Hindu. Bakshi described the remarks as unpatriotic and a “threat against Hinduism. It is a threat against Hinduism itself to vandalise another American community’s house of worship because you hate the faith inside it,” PTI quoted Bakshi as saying.

“If winning in America means demolishing Hindu temples, you don’t want the country I fought for. You just want a license to go after people who aren’t you,” he added.

Bakshi’s response was supported by the Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) and Carl Wheless, a Texas-based US Army veteran and political commentator. “We share your horror at the open religious bigotry being mainstreamed on this platform and are proud to fight it alongside you,” CoHNA said in a post on X.

The controversy comes amid a heated political campaign in Texas, where immigration, race and cultural identity have become major issues. Texas also has a large Indian-American population, which has recently faced political controversy over remarks made by a Republican candidate.

Bo French, the Republican nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner, faced criticism after posting a photograph of South Asian students celebrating a University of Texas football victory. French wrote that he had heard “UT graduation this year looked like this” and added that “the problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined”.

Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries criticised the remarks, saying, “Right-wing Republicans are repeatedly using derogatory slurs in a casual manner”. Republican Senator John Cornyn also condemned French’s post and questioned whether other Republican officials would denounce what he called intolerance and racism.

Texas Republican lawmakers Lacey Hull and Jared Patterson also criticised the post. French later defended his remarks, saying the University of Texas’ admissions policies had disadvantaged Texans.

Texas Republicans are seeking to retain control of the state, while Democrats are campaigning for gains in the November elections. The Senate race has attracted national attention, with Democratic nominee James Talarico facing Republican nominee Ken Paxton. Polling and prediction-market assessments have differed on the contest. The governor’s race is also underway, with Republican incumbent Greg Abbott seeking another term.