Die-hard Donald Trump fan Bussa Krishna is celebrating the upcoming visit of his hero to India the only way he knows how – offering prayers to a life-sized idol of the U.S. president in his home.
The 33-year-old has built the statue – where he performs the Hindu prayer ritual "puja" usually meant for deities – in the backyard of his house in Jangaon district in India's southern state of Telangana. Krishna hired 15 laborers for a month to construct the 2-meter-tall statue of Trump wearing a blue suit and red tie, with his arm raised in a thumbs up, according to the New York Post.
"Trump sir, you are my god," the devotee told Agence France-Presse (AFP) after performing the puja.
“Every Friday I fast for Trump’s long life," Krishna told New Delhi TV (NDTV). "I also carry his picture and pray to him before commencing any work."
"Welcome to India. I am so happy," he told AFP.
Trump and his wife Melania Trump are due to visit India and hold meetings with Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a high-profile two-day trip starting Feb. 24.
On his Facebook and Instagram accounts, Krishna posts images of himself wearing a blue or red T-shirt with the name Trump emblazoned on its front and back and carrying a framed photo of the American leader.
"I am praying to God to see that I meet my 'god' at least once," Krishna told local newspaper Telangana Today last year.
Trump has built up a fan base in India among some Hindu nationalists drawn to his hard-line rhetoric against Muslims.
He is expected to be feted by some 110,000 people in Modi's home state of Gujarat when he inaugurates the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel stadium, the world's biggest cricket venue, in a "Namaste Trump" rally.
