India Dismisses USCIRF Call for Sanctions Against RSS as ‘Biased’ and ‘Lacking Credibility’

New Delhi: The Indian government has launched a sharp rebuttal against the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) after the federal body urged the U.S. government to impose sanctions on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). New Delhi dismissed the recommendation as the product of a "biased organization" with a clear political agenda.

The controversy erupted following efforts by the USCIRF to impede the upcoming visit of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to New York, scheduled for August 29. The commission had petitioned the U.S. government to deny diplomatic courtesies to the organization’s leaders, characterizing the RSS as an "umbrella organization" responsible for attacks on religious minorities.

India’s Strong Rejection

Addressing the media, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal did not mince words, stating that the USCIRF has consistently engaged in "disparaging and inflammatory remarks" regarding India.

"It is a biased organisation. I would say that we should keep away from such organisations as they have their own agenda and lack any credibility," Jaiswal said.

He further emphasized that the commission fails to grasp the reality of India’s pluralistic social framework, noting that the USCIRF has shown no interest in acknowledging the long-standing harmonious coexistence of India’s diverse religious communities.

The U.S. body, which acts as an independent federal agency tasked with monitoring religious freedom, had previously suggested in its annual report that the U.S. government should consider designating India as a "country of particular concern" and target entities like the RSS and the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) with sanctions.

Political Tensions

Observers have pointed to the involvement of USCIRF chair Asif Mahmood in the recent criticism. Critics of the commission have raised concerns over Mahmood’s background and his alleged political leanings, suggesting that his public opposition to Bhagwat’s visit is colored by his ties to Pakistani political and diplomatic circles.

Hindu Advocacy Group Defends RSS

The backlash against the USCIRF was not limited to official government channels. HinduPACT, a prominent U.S.-based Hindu advocacy group, issued a scathing condemnation of the commission, accusing it of abandoning its mandate.

"When its chair speaks about India and the RSS, he sounds less like the head of a pluralistic American commission and more like an advocate for a hardened anti-Hindu narrative," said Ajay Shah, founder and chair of HinduPACT.

Shah argued that the commission is allowing itself to be influenced by groups that equate legitimate Hindu self-assertion with extremism. "Mohan Bhagwat leads one of the world’s most consequential Hindu organisations. He should not be met with slander scripted by [groups] that have made a habit of treating Hindu self-assertion as extremism," he added.

As the August 29 visit approaches, the diplomatic standoff highlights growing tensions between the Indian government and international bodies that seek to scrutinize its internal social policies, with New Delhi increasingly signaling that it will not tolerate what it views as foreign interference in its domestic affairs.