RSS hires lobbying agency to boost influence in US Congress, spends crores to boost image: Report

 RSS hires lobbying agency to boost influence in US Congress, spends crores to boost image: Report

New Delhi November 14 (Manpreet Singh Khalsa):- US top lobbying firm Squire Patton Boggs has registered lobbying for India's right-wing organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in the US Parliament for the first time earlier this year. According to a report by American website Prism, the firm has been paid around Rs 2.75 crore in the first three quarters of 2025. This is the first time that RSS has hired a lobbying agency in the US. Lobbying documents show that the firm worked on issues related to US-India bilateral relations, although experts say that this activity should have come under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) as RSS is a foreign (Indian) organisation. However, neither Squire Patton Boggs nor the RSS have registered themselves under FARA. The report said that the lobbying firm approached US lawmakers and policymakers on behalf of the RSS, seeking to provide information about its history and “mission”. Lobbyist Bradford Ellison contacted American professor Audrey Terschke, writing that he wanted to educate lawmakers about the “mission and influence of the RSS”. According to information obtained by Prism, representatives of the lobbying firm also visited the RSS headquarters and training camp in Nagpur this year. RSS Magazine described the visit as “a significant moment in India-US civil society dialogue”. The report also said that those involved in the lobbying included former Republican US Congressman Bill Schuster, his brother Bob Schuster and several former congressional aides. The lobbying filing also names Boston-based pharmaceutical businessman Vivek Sharma, who contributed more than $5,000 and participated in lobbying activities. Experts say that RSS has deep ties to India’s ruling party, the BJP, so it should have been considered a ‘foreign political organization’ and registered under FARA, and not just under the Lobbying Disclosure Act. The report also said that in 2020, Overseas Friends of BJP-USA also had to register as a foreign agent when it participated in BJP’s campaign during the US elections. According to the Prism report, this lobbying by RSS is an attempt to improve its image among American policymakers. "The RSS has now become a mainstream force in India, but globally it is still seen as a 'fascist paramilitary organisation'. They are trying to change this image," said Rakib Hamid Naik, director of the US-based Center for the Study of Organized Hate.