The Caravan – August 2019

30 THE CARAVAN

allinthefamily· reportage

ment. Modi stood accused of complicity in the an-

ti-Muslim pogrom that had taken place in Gujarat,

while he was the chief minister of the state. Even

by conservative estimates, the pogrom took over a

thousand lives. Afterwards, he was denied a visa

to the country. The greatest diplomatic triumph

for the American Sangh was rehabilitating Modi’s

tainted reputation in the United States. Gabbard

played a significant part in that project.

There are nearly 4.5 million Indian Americans

in the United States. Just over half are Hindu. Fif-

ty percent are registered Democrats, but they tend

to shy away from partisanship—especially those

who belong to Sangh offshoots. Constituting less

than 1.5 percent of the population, Indian Ameri-

cans are not typically considered a significant vot-

er base. Yet they have emerged as a crucial constit-

uency for Indian politics, given their vast support

for Modi at his “rock-star” receptions in New York

and California, and his dependence on them for

“diaspora diplomacy.”

Amongst Gabbard’s many donors are various

members of the US chapters of groups such as the

Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, the Overseas Friends

of the BJP and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad of

America. Thanks to her connection to leading

figures of the American Sangh—such as Vijay

Pallod, a businessman from Texas; Bharat Barai,

an oncologist from the Chicago region; and Mihir

Meghani, a physician from California—she has

been eagerly welcomed at many Sangh fundraisers

around the country.

“She has proved it at a young age that she is a

capable leader,” Barai told me. “When a capable

Hindu candidate will contest, sure, I look at it fa-

vourably. But, of course, I don’t vote for every Hin-

du candidate. They also have to be capable.” Pallod

told me he liked Gabbard because she was a “mod-

erate” and seemed genuine. “She is not like many

politicians who do not keep their word,” he said.

Even as mainstream interfaith groups refused

to participate in events hosted by the American

Sangh, Gabbard repeatedly spoke at its events, in

the United States and abroad. While organisations

such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty In-

ternational have published reports warning about

the spread of Hindu-nationalist violence under

Modi’s administration, Gabbard has called India

an “indispensable partner” to the United States,

and pushed for enhanced cooperation between

the two countries. Gabbard's donors have publicly

applauded her for supporting Modi before he was

elected, for speaking against the US decision to

deny him a visa after 2002 and for working against

congressional efforts to recognise human-rights

violations in India.

Tulsi Gabbard began her six years in office as a

liberal Democrat. She is now closely aligned with

below: Gabbard
is a major in the
US Army National
Guard—a reserve
component of the
US armed forces—
and is a veteran of
the war in Iraq.

opposite page:
On 9 April 2015, Ram
Madhav, then a BJP
spokesperson, and
before that, a long
time RSS executive,
delivered gifts
to Tulsi Gabbard
from Modi on her
wedding day.

hugh gentry / reuters