51all in thefamily· reportage
AUGUST 2019In May 2019, after the journalist Glenn Green-
wald noted her “strong praise for Modi,” he asked
Gabbard if she believes that “the government of
India persecutes Muslims and other religious mi-
norities.”
“I don’t pretend to support or approve of or
endorse all the practices of the ruling party in In-
dia,” Gabbard replied.
Pressing her again, Greenwald asked, “Do you
agree that that’s happening?” She responded, “I
don’t dispute that these things are occurring.”
Just one month later, Gabbard was in New York
for a fundraiser at the home of Raj Bhayani, a
Brooklyn-based surgeon who is a member of the
OFBJP’s social-development committee as well
as a core-committee member of ModiForPM.org.
In April, he helped organise an OFBJP campaign
kickoff for Modi's re-election this year.
Gabbard is investing all her efforts in her run
for the presidency. Compared to the many heavy-
weights still in the race, she is ranked near the
bottom. The party has set a combined polling and
donation threshold for participation. Gabbard has
qualified for the first two debates, but is struggling
to meet the thresholds for the third. With luck, she
may still stay the course until September.
In my conversations with Sangh leaders, I
sensed some distancing from Gabbard when I
spoke to them about her presidential campaign.
Barai emphasised that he is an independent withno formal party affiliation. “I’ll wait till whoever
comes into the primaries, and gets the party’s
nomination, and then choose between the two,”
he told me. In the crowded Democratic prima-
ry, he listed several contenders he favours: “Joe
Biden, Kamala Harris or Tulsi Gabbard—but
again, I will have to see what the Democratic Par-
ty puts up.”
Barai’s rhetoric diverges from his campaign
donations. There are over twenty Democrats
running for president, but the only one he has
donated to is Gabbard. Since January this year, he
and his wife have contributed $6,400 to her cam-
paign. Many of Gabbard’s other original Sangh
donors, including Ramesh Shah, Shekar Reddy
and Vijay, are also donating to her presidential
campaign. Ramesh and Rishi Bhutada—along
with their wives—have contributed $10,900. Mi-
hir Meghani, his wife and his parents have con-
tributed $22,400.
Even if she fails to win the presidency, Tulsi
Gabbard’s future looks bright. She is positioned
to run fortheUSSenate—or even secure a cabi-
netposition.Andbesides,theSanghisa giftthat
keepsgiving. sDisclosure: The writer has participated in protests
and organising for civil rights and minority causes
in the United States, including with South Asian or-
ganisations opposing Hindutva.left: In March 2019,
around two dozen
Indian Americans
protested outside
the First Unitarian
Church of Los
Angeles, where
Tulsi Gabbard was
campaigning for
Democratic Party's
nomination for
president.courtesy pieter friedrich