Foreign Funding of the Indian Militant Party RSS

By Sajjad Shaukat

The militant party Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was raised in 1925 with an intent to Hinduize India leading to its ‘Hindtuvization’ at the cost of religio-cultural diversity.

Since its manifesto also has ‘Hindutva’ (Hindu nationalism) as part of an ideology, hence it is now hell-bent to implement the ideology, being aided and abetted by Modi-led BJP ((Bharatiya Janata Party) government.  

It operates with the help of Sangh Parivars-an umbrella term used for the outfits toeing the ideological line of RSS both in India and abroad.

A number of outfits operating in America having direct nexus with RSS allied Sangh Parivar organizations in India. The latter are, in fact, being financed by the US based groups

RSS has ubiquitous presence across nook and corner of India with an array of affiliates working in line with its agenda to take India from Hinduaization to ‘Hindutvization’. Being administratively facilitated by BJP government, RSS has been proliferating its motto with ease and comfort.

However, RSS has been maintaining an effective foothold in America, UK, Canada and elsewhere with the help of so-called INGOs, charity organizations being run by RSS ideologues. They have both stated and unstated (covert) objectives. In case of the latter, funds are funneled to Sangh Parivar groups toeing the line of RSS back in India.

An endeavor has been made to unearth the fundraising and financial flow of organizations for RSS, promoted Sangh Parivar outfits involved in ‘Hindutvization’ in India.

On 27 Novemebr 2022, Global Hindu Heritage Foundation organized a fundraising concert in USA. In its flyer, it inter alia stated to use money for ‘Ghar Wapsi, demolition of churches in Tripura etc. in India.

Besides fundraising, and funds funneling to Sangh Parivar outfits, US-based entities are found involved in lobbying in America for India in the line of RSS dictated BJP government policies.

In this regard, Al Jazeera on April 2, 2021: “Washington, DC, United States…Five organisations with ties to Hindu supremacist and religious groups have received funding amounting to $833,000, according to data released by the United States’ Small Business Administration (SBA), a federal agency that helps small business owners and entrepreneurs. Massachusetts-based Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America (VHPA) received more than $150,000 under PPP and a further $21,430 under EIDLA and DAL programmes”.

It indicated: “VHPA’s Indian counterpart, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), was designated as a religious militant organization by the world…Factbook of CIA for years. VHP is an affiliate of RSS, a far-right Hindu nationalist organization formed in 1925 along the lines of hardline nationalist groups in Europe, which aims to create an ethnic Hindu-majority state in India”.

Al Jazeera pointed out: “RSS is the ideological mentor of India’s governing BJP and boasts of having Prime Minister Narendra Modi among millions of its members across India. American organizations such as the VHPA openly acknowledge that they are inspired by India’s Hindu nationalist organizations, such as the VHP and the RSS…Any American nonprofit that perpetuates Islamophobia and other forms of hate should not receive federal relief funds”.

It further said: “For decades, VHP has campaigned to turn India into a Hindu nation and stands accused of orchestrating numerous attacks on Muslims and Christians in hundreds of riots in various parts of the country”.

Al Jazeera added: “Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of USA, an organization affiliated with the RSS, obtained direct payment of $7,000 and a loan of $64,462 under PPP. Through its network of schools mainly in India’s tribal and rural areas, Ekal Vidyalaya has been accused of spreading the RSS agenda of Hindu supremacy and of promoting anti-minority hate among young children”.

It maintained: a Washington-based advocacy group co-founded by former VHPA activist Mihir Meghani, received the lion’s share of federal funds with $378,064 in PPP loans and another $10,000 in EIDLA…HAF lobbies to deflect any criticism of Modi government’s policies on Capitol Hill, the most recent being its vehement defence of the Citizenship Amendment Act which the United Nations described as “fundamentally discriminatory”,  and India’s scrapping of the special constitutional status of Indian-administered Kashmir…both in 2019”.

Besides Sewa International funds, several RSS-run projects are working across India. In fact, in the older RSS literature, Sewa International’s address was the same as the RSS headquarters in New Delhi.

Ramesh Bhutada, an Indian-American businessman from Texas and national vice president of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS), the US wing of RSS, also holds the position of board chairperson at Sewa International.

And HSS—operating in the UK since 1968 is ideologically inspired by the RSS and Britain’s charities watchdog opened a statutory probe after concerns were raised on its “extremist” views and “improper”, working in the country for collection of funds.

Reuters pointed out on September 29, 2023: “A video showing the head of an independent Muslim human rights organization calling for a ban on the Hindu nationalist group Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has been shared online to falsely claim the Government of Canada has banned the latter amid rising tensions between Canada and India”.

Notably, Indian Constitution declares India to be a secular and democratic state, which safeguards the rights of religious minorities, but, under the Modi-led government, discrimination especially against the Muslims—assaults on their places of worships and property—ban on beef and cow slaughter ,creation of war-like situation with Pakistan etc. have clearly proved that Hindu biased outfits such as VHP, Bajrang Dal and Shiv Sena particularly associated with the RSS have been promoting religious and ethnic chauvinism in India by propagating the Hindutva ideology.

In this context, top Indian court closed all proceedings relating to the 2002 riots in the western state of Gujarat, which killed over a thousand people as well as the 1992 demolition of the Babri Masjid (Mosque).

On the midnight of 18-19 February 2007, India-Pakistan Samjhota Express train was bombed in which 68 Pakistani nationals were killed. A Hindu extremist Swami Aseemanand, a leader of the RSS has confessed that he was involved in several bombings incidents. He also claimed to have been a part of the incident.

In fact, various anti-Muslim developments and moves led by RSS are part of the Indian saffron politics, which has also enveloped Indian key state institutions, particularly judiciary.

Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs and is the author of the book, US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations

Email: sajjad_logic@yahoo.com