Right-wing troll appears as caricatured Indian persona at Plano City Council meeting

Indian American residents walked out of a Plano City Council meeting on Feb. 10 after right-wing media figure Alex Stein mocked Hindu religious practices during public comments.

Stein, who wore clothing resembling traditional Indian attire and a tilak on his forehead, made remarks about cow worship and the religious significance of cow dung and urine in a tone attendees characterized as derisive. As Stein continued speaking, some attendees appeared visibly uncomfortable, with several shaking their heads before leaving their seats.

Stein appeared before the council dressed in a yellow kurta, black shorts, slippers and a red tilak. Speaking in an exaggerated accent, he introduced himself as a “young Indian boy” from the “holy land of India far, far away” before describing Hindu reverence for cows.

During his remarks, Stein said he was being bullied for “drink[ing] and eat[ing] special stuff that in your culture is not very respected but in my culture it has lots of healing properties.” He later stated, “I worship cows but cow is not no animal no cow is divine mother her milk is Amrit nectar from heaven her urine Gomutra is purest medicine straight from the gods her dung Gobar is holy old blessing for health and prosperity.”

Near the end of his speech, he added, “Please, mayor, I beg you, let me eat the cow dung. It has healing properties.” Stein also referenced national politics, saying, “I want to say I love Donald Trump for appointing Kash Patel as FBI director,” and expressing hope that he would one day have an “authentic Indian marriage.”

Stein’s poor attempt at comedy comes amid heightened anti-Indian rhetoric in the U.S., particularly in debates surrounding immigration and employment visas such as the H-1B program, which a majority of recipients use to work in the tech sector and other industries.

The AAPI Equity Alliance’s Stop AAPI Hate report found that over 75% of anti-Asian slurs recorded between December 2024 and January 2025 targeted South Asians. Meanwhile, research group Moonshot tracked over 44,000 slurs targeting South Asians in extremist online spaces between May and June 2025.

The Center for the Study of Organized Hate documented a spike in anti-Indian content on X over the past year. In October 2025 alone, the center recorded nearly 2,700 posts promoting racism or xenophobia against Indians and Indian Americans. A separate analysis by the center found that between July 1 and Sept. 7, 2025, narratives portraying Indians as “invaders” and “job thieves,” along with calls for deportation, accounted for 474 posts and more than 111 million views, with activity peaking in August.

Stein is a known troll who uses municipal government meetings to spread misinformation, racist attacks, transphobia and conspiracy theories. In January 2022, he appeared at a Dallas City Hall session dressed in medical scrubs and performed what he described as a pro-vaccine rap, repeating the lyric “Dr. Fauci give me that ouchie” while gesturing theatrically at the podium. In another appearance, he attended a city council meeting portraying a Planned Parenthood “abortionist,” delivering remarks in character during public comment.

While footage of Stein’s grandstanding in Plano generated online buzz, it did not translate into institutional response or high-profile condemnation. As of publication, no prominent Asian American elected officials, nationally recognized advocacy organizations or widely followed community leaders had publicly addressed the incident. Inside the chamber, no council members responded to his statements. After his allotted time expired, the meeting resumed without discussion of his remarks.