India's RSS ramps up Western lobbying amid minority rights criticism
Sarah Shamim
Facing accusations of human rights abuses and inciting violence against minorities, the Hindu nationalist group RSS is increasing visits and dialogues in the US, UK, and Germany to improve its image and avert potential international sanctions. The outreach follows a US commission's recommendation for targeted sanctions against the RSS for decades of violent extremism and intolerance toward minority groups.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), widely seen as the ideological fountainhead of India's Hindu far-right, has announced plans for visits to the US and other Western nations to burnish its global image and push back against allegations of violence against religious minority groups.
The trips come as India faces mounting international criticism over its human rights record, just months after a US federal agency released a report accusing the organization of perpetrating violence against minorities for decades.
Founded in 1925 in Nagpur, Maharashtra, the RSS is a right-wing Hindu volunteer organization active across social sectors — from schools and hospitals to magazines and publishing houses — all aimed at promoting Hindutva, a Hindu nationalist ideology that seeks to transform India from a constitutionally secular state into a Hindu nation.
Many scholars contend that the RSS was influenced by fascism and Nazism, noting that its first leader met Mussolini and its second leader's writings contained passages praising Hitler. The RSS has been banned multiple times in India, including in 1948 after a former member assassinated independence leader Mahatma Gandhi.
The organization is often described as the "ideological godfather" of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Current Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been an RSS member since 1972.
According to a report by India Hate Lab, a US-based research group, hate speech incidents targeting minorities in India rose 13% in 2025. Attacks specifically aimed at Christians jumped from 115 in 2024 to 162 in 2025, a 41% increase. Many Muslims have been lynched during livestock disputes or in targeted assaults.
On May 13, 2025, RSS General Secretary Dattatreya Hosabale held a rare press conference with foreign media in New Delhi, stating that he had spoken at seminars in the US, Germany, and the UK "to remove doubts and misconceptions about the RSS." He insisted the goal was to refute allegations that the organization is a "paramilitary force" advocating "Hindu supremacist ideology" that relegates others to "second-class citizen" status.
Earlier in April, Hosabale undertook a six-day trip to the UK, a ten-day visit to the US, and a two-day trip to Germany. In the UK, he met with scholars, policymakers, and business leaders, and attended a dinner with cross-party lawmakers from the Conservatives, Labour, and Liberal Democrats. In the US, he engaged with the Indian-American diaspora and held discussions at the conservative Hudson Institute. In Germany, he worked with the German Council on Foreign Relations and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.
Analysts say this outreach is a response to a November 2024 report by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), which recommended targeted sanctions against the RSS and its leadership for "being involved in violent extremism and intolerance against members of minority groups over decades."
"This is a major blow because it comes from a bipartisan agency," said Raqib Hameed Naik, founder of the Centre for the Study of Organised Hatred (CSOH). He warned that if sanctions are enforced, the RSS risks becoming a pariah organization, even within the Indian diaspora, which is a key source of funding.
Professor Apoorvanand of Delhi University said the RSS and its affiliates are engaged in "damage control," pushing back against growing criticism among Western policymakers. Hosabale has stated that RSS leaders will continue to visit Europe, Southeast Asia, and other regions to raise awareness about the organization.
