RSS turns to American lobbyists: What’s driving the move?

By Ram Puniyani*

As the marks 100 years of its existence, a relatively new and little-known development has emerged: reports that the organisation engaged a lobbying firm in the United States. Several YouTube channels and media platforms have pointed out that the firm hired for this purpose is the same one that also lobbies for . This recalls an earlier instance from 2007, when , then chief minister of Gujarat, hired the Washington-based firm to promote his image ahead of the Assembly elections.

APCO, a subsidiary of a US law firm, has previously taken on image-building for authoritarian leaders and even advocated for wars on behalf of states that hired it. Lobbying of this kind, in effect, shapes public perception and helps “manufacture consent”—a phrase made famous by .

According to and other outlets, an investigation by Prism found that the firm received USD 330,000 to lobby members of the US Senate and House of Representatives on behalf of the RSS. Lobbying disclosures accessed by the outlet show that this sum was paid during the first three quarters of 2025. Public documents indicate that the firm was engaged on 3 March. The central question that arises is the source of this funding. The RSS is a non-registered body and maintains that its only funding comes from “”. This raises concerns about how an unregistered organisation can spend large sums in the US. While an RSS spokesperson has denied the reports, the information is available in public filings with US authorities, where foreign funding for lobbying must be declared.

The RSS has earlier been examined on tax matters. A tribunal, acknowledging the traditional spirit of Guru Dakshina, granted exemption to such collections. However, the tribunal noted that the character of these funds changes fundamentally when they are used to pay a foreign firm for lobbying with a foreign government—even if one chooses to describe such lobbying as “educating” public officials abroad.

Why would an organisation that long prided itself on low-profile functioning now seek professional lobbying support for shaping its image before American policymakers and the public? Historically, the policies of the RSS–BJS–BJP have been broadly aligned with US interests, especially during the 1950s and 1960s, when these groups supported American military interventions such as the and criticised India’s non-aligned stance.

Over the decades, many Indian emigrants drawn to the organisation’s cultural nationalism have settled in the US, with some rising to prominent political positions and maintaining strong links with RSS-BJP networks. Given these longstanding connections, the need for lobbying points to newer pressures. One factor appears to be a desire to reinforce a pro-US image at a time when India’s foreign policy does not always align with Washington.

Another likely factor is growing scrutiny by US-based human rights groups. Organisations such as , founded by people of Indian origin, have consistently highlighted human rights violations and the exclusionary positions associated with the RSS and its US affiliate, the .

Several American institutions have released detailed assessments of the situation in India. The 2024 report documents a continuing deterioration in , citing discriminatory policies, , and violence disproportionately affecting minorities, along with the misuse of laws such as the , , , , and cow-slaughter statutes.

The —working with scholars from Denver and Columbia Universities—has produced an extensive study on the activities of Hindutva-aligned groups in the US. Since 2001, the centre has monitored discrimination against Muslim, Arab, and South Asian communities. Its report underlines how certain promote a narrow, politicised version of Hinduism tied to , reinforcing caste hierarchies, religious intolerance, and ethno-nationalism. It also documents patterns of demonisation of Muslims and Arabs, and the rhetoric deployed in youth programmes and camps run by HSS and , where prejudice towards non-Hindus is reportedly encouraged.

Given the visibility and credibility of such reports, and the growing resistance to Hindutva politics within American civil society, it is not surprising that the RSS has turned to professional lobbying to counter negative perceptions and repair its image abroad.

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