As many as 90 US politicians, including Indian-origin lawmakers Ro Khanna and Pramila Jayapal, have signed a pledge promising not to accept political donations from people or organisations associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
The initiative was launched shortly after RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat visited the US and addressed the "Universal Oneness Celebration" at New York City's Madison Square Garden on August 29. The event focused on themes including interfaith dialogue and "universal oneness".
The campaign was announced on August 31 by Hindus for Human Rights Action and the South Asian American Coalition to Renew Democracy Acts (SACRED Acts). According to the groups, politicians and candidates across eight US states have committed to refusing contributions from individuals and organisations linked to the RSS.
"In response to the RSS leaders' visit, Hindus for Human Rights Action, SACRED Acts, and their partners announce a nonpartisan pledge that includes a broad coalition of signatories from both the Democratic and Republican parties, including elected officials and candidates at the federal, state, and local/municipal level in eight states," the release read.
The six-page pledge has attracted support from politicians at various levels, including members of Congress, state lawmakers, mayors, local representatives and candidates affiliated with both major US political parties.
Apart from refusing future contributions, the pledge urges signatories to reject "political violence and intimidation". It also calls for money previously accepted from RSS-linked sources to either be returned or donated to organisations "supporting democracy".
Hindus for Human Rights Action describes itself as a US political advocacy organisation focused on "building a movement for all Hindus seeking to: protect democracy, human rights, and pluralism, and dismantle caste and Hindu nationalism."
SACRED Acts, meanwhile, says it is a coalition "advancing democracy and collective liberation by producing original action research and public education that exposes and disrupts the alliances between white supremacist movements and extremist South Asian American groups in the US."
Who has signed the pledge?
Among those backing the initiative are lawmakers and candidates from states including Illinois, Michigan, California and New York.
Prominent names include Michigan-based epidemiologist and US Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, Washington Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, California Representative Ro Khanna and Illinois Representative Robin Kelly.
Jayapal has described the RSS as a "right wing organisation" and accused it of seeking to "destabilise and undermine democracy in India".
"We must reject right-wing organisations that seek to destabilise and undermine democracy, whether it's the far-right movement in the US or the RSS in India. I am committing to not taking any RSS-affiliated money and encourage my colleagues to do the same," Jayapal was quoted as saying in the six-page press release.
Khanna, meanwhile, referred to the RSS as the "group behind Gandhi's assassination" and argued that it should not be permitted to "influence elections in the US".
"I am proud to announce that I am taking SACRED Acts' and Hindus for Human Rights Action's Nonviolence Pledge to ensure that the RSS, the group behind Gandhi's assassination, cannot create a PAC or influence elections in the US," stated Khanna, adding that, "I'm taking action to demonstrate my commitment to this pledge. Today, I announce that I am donating away a $6,600 contribution I recently discovered from a pro-MAGA, billionaire with ties to the RSS."
However, The Nation had reported in 2023 that Khanna received $110,000 from "Hindu nationalist figures". This has raised questions about how the lawmaker's latest pledge will apply to earlier contributions.
Pledge follows Bhagwat's New York visit
The campaign followed Bhagwat's appearance as the keynote speaker at the August 29 event in Manhattan. Organised by American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue (AHEAD Forum), the programme was part of the RSS's international outreach during its centenary year.
Before the event, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom had urged sanctions against the RSS, accusing the organisation of "perpetuating attacks on religious minorities".
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani had also criticised the RSS as an "exclusionary" organisation ahead of the programme, although he did not take steps to prevent the event from being held.
Hindu American groups oppose the campaign
The pledge has drawn a sharp response from Hindu American political and advocacy organisations.
The Hindu American Political Action Group (HAPAC), which identifies itself as "an independent, non-partisan federal political action committee for the Hindu American community", accused the organisations behind the campaign of targeting Hindu Americans.
In posts on X, HAPAC alleged that some politicians who signed the pledge had been "misled" or "pressured". It further claimed that the initiative specifically targeted "only Hindu American donors".
The organisation described the campaign as "plainly discriminatory" and accused it of "mimicking horrific anti-Semitic tropes". It also said the initiative was imposing "American Hindus to a loyalty test that imposes upon them the burden of proving that they are 'fit' for being part of the American political process."
HAPAC subsequently urged "Hindu Americans to be aware but remain fearless" and continue taking part in American political life.
Suhag A Shukla, executive director of the Hindu American Foundation, also criticised the pledge, calling it "un-American". She argued that it effectively assumes Hindu-American citizens may have "loyalty to a foreign entity".
"Nearly 100 political candidates, all Democrats, have signed a pledge that they will investigate all campaign contributions from Hindu American citizens to check if they have ties to the RSS," Shukla wrote on X, adding that "No other American citizens’ contributions will be scrutinized. These candidates have committed to investigating only Hindu American donors with presumed dual loyalty to a foreign entity. This singling out is un-American to the core."
