RSS Hires Top US Lobbying Firm To Influence Congress: Report
India’s largest far-right Hindu organisation, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has hired a powerful American lobbying firm to influence lawmakers in Washington, D.C.
According to Prism’s exclusive investigation, Squire Patton Boggs, one of the most influential lobbying firms in the United States, was registered on January 16, 2025, to lobby on behalf of the RSS.
Lobbying disclosures show that the firm received about $330,000 during the first three quarters of 2025 to engage with officials in both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives. This marks the first known instance of the RSS hiring lobbyists in the U.S., as per Prism’s findings.
The RSS, founded in 1925, recently celebrated its centenary in Nagpur. Often described by critics and human rights groups as a Hindu nationalist organisation that promotes a majoritarian agenda, the RSS has long been accused of discrimination and violence against Muslims and other minorities.
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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) traces its roots to the RSS, and Modi himself was once a volunteer in the organisation.
Prism’s report highlights that the RSS’s lobbying activities in the U.S. raise serious questions about transparency under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) — a law requiring representatives of foreign interests to disclose their activities.
Despite its clear Indian origin, neither the RSS nor Squire Patton Boggs has registered under FARA. Instead, the firm filed under the Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA), which requires less detailed public reporting.
Public filings show that the lobbying was technically conducted through State Street Strategies, doing business as One+ Strategies, which acted on behalf of the RSS. The official reason listed for lobbying was “U.S.-India bilateral relations,” but experts told Prism that the nature of the work likely falls under FARA’s purview.
Ben Freeman, director at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, told Prism, “Registering under the LDA and not FARA really keeps this influence campaign in the shadows.” He said the lack of transparency means the public has little idea of what the lobbyists are actually doing for the RSS.
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According to Prism, four Squire Patton Boggs lobbyists — Bradford Ellison, Ludmilla Kasulke, Bill Shuster, and Rebekah Sungala — were named in the filings. Notably, Shuster is a former Republican congressman from Pennsylvania, while Ellison and Kasulke have previously represented foreign governments such as South Korea and Ethiopia.
Emails obtained by Prism show that Ellison contacted Rutgers University historian Audrey Truschke in January 2025, introducing himself as part of a team “retained by the RSS to educate lawmakers about the group’s mission and impact.” When Truschke asked about their registration status under FARA, she received no response.
In June, Ellison and the Shuster brothers visited Nagpur, India, the RSS’s headquarters, where they attended training camps and meetings with members. An RSS publication described the visit as a “significant moment in Indo-U.S. civil society engagement.”
Prism’s investigation also found that Vivek Sharma, a Massachusetts-based pharmaceutical executive, contributed financially to the RSS’s lobbying activities. Sharma, who heads Cohance Lifesciences and is reportedly linked to U.S.-based Hindu nationalist nonprofits, was listed as a financial contributor on lobbying documents.
The Prism report also notes that American conservative figures and think tanks, such as the Hudson Institute and the Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS), have engaged with the RSS.
Both organisations are known for promoting closer U.S.-India ties. FIIDS’s president, Khanderao Kand, has reportedly been associated with the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS), the RSS’s U.S. affiliate.
Experts cited by Prism said the RSS’s activities in the U.S. appear to be part of a broader campaign to reshape its global image. “The RSS might be mainstream in India, but globally it’s still viewed as a fascist paramilitary group,” said Raqib Hameed Naik of the Centre for the Study of Organised Hate. “They’re trying to change that perception among U.S. policymakers,” he added.
Legal experts told Prism that Squire Patton Boggs should have registered under FARA because the RSS qualifies as a foreign entity. “What matters is who the ultimate client is — and that’s clearly the RSS,” said Freeman.
Others, including OpenSecrets researcher Dan Auble and American University professor James Thurber, agreed that the firm’s registration under the LDA likely sidesteps more rigorous FARA disclosures.
This is not the first time Hindu nationalist groups have drawn scrutiny for U.S. lobbying. The Overseas Friends of BJP-USA (OFBJP-USA) registered under FARA in 2020 after questions arose over its political campaigning for the BJP.
The Prism report also noted that India’s government currently works with multiple U.S. lobbying firms, including BGR Government Affairs, SHW Partners, and Mercury Public Affairs, for government relations and perception management.
As of now, neither the RSS nor Squire Patton Boggs has responded to Prism’s detailed questions about the lobbying activities or their compliance with U.S. transparency laws.
