New Delhi, Nov. 6 -- As Republicans face midterm reckoning, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Friday said the US elections carried an important lesson for people aspiring for a "free and democratic country". He argued that liberalism, secularism and tolerance had ultimately prevailed over divisive political rhetoric.

The former Union Home Minister said the US elections were held amid a "cacophony" of issues surrounding illegal immigration, the alleged invasion by Asians and Latin Americans and Islamophobic narratives. He observed that these issues threatened to overshadow everyday concerns such as the cost of living, unemployment, fuel prices and law and order.

"The United States elections were held amidst the cacophony of Illegal...