Australian Treasurer accused of making racist comments towards Hindus

Australia's Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has been accused of making "brazen" and "offensive" comments about Hinduism and other Indian religions in Parliament, according to media reports.

Last week, Liberal Party leader Frydenberg made repeated references to the Hinduism and other Indian religions while criticising the Opposition Labor Party's idea of potentially pursuing a New Zealand-style "wellbeing budget", 9News reported on Sunday.

"They (Labor) are inspired by their spiritual leader, the member for Rankin (Opposition treasury spokesman Jim Chalmers)," Frydenberg was quoted as saying by the report.

"I was thinking yesterday, as the member for Rankin was coming into the chamber fresh from his Ashram deep in the mountains of the Himalayas barefoot in the chamber, robes flowing, incense burning, beads in one hand, wellbeing budget in the other, I thought to myself: 'What yoga position the member for Rankin would assume ... to deliver the first wellbeing budget?''
"I would expect Frydenberg to do the right thing."