Did RSS hire US lobbying firm linked to Pakistan?

The Congress on Thursday alleged that the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) has hired a US lobbying firm that has previously represented Pakistan’s official interests, accusing the organisation of “betraying national interest”.

Congress Rajya Sabha MP and general-secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh claimed in a post on X that the RSS engaged Squire Patton Boggs (SPB), a major American law and lobbying firm described by the party as “one of Pakistan’s official lobbying arms”.

Ramesh cited US Senate lobbying disclosures, sharing a screenshot that listed the RSS as a client of SPB.

“A few days ago, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat acknowledged that the RSS isn’t a registered organisation and does not pay taxes. Now we learn that the RSS has spent a significant amount of money to engage one of Pakistan’s official lobbying arms to espouse its interests in the US,” Ramesh alleged.

Calling the RSS a “pseudo-nationalist outfit”, he said the organisation has “a long tradition of betraying the freedom movement, opposing Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, and attacking the Constitution and the national flag”.

According to Ramesh, the revelation underscores a contradiction between the Sangh’s nationalist rhetoric and its international engagements. The RSS has not yet issued any response to the allegations.

The revealation comes three days after Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge questioned how an organisation that remains legally unregistered continues to fund its massive nationwide operations.

Responding to RSS supremo Bhagwat’s recent claim that the Sangh is run purely through contributions from its volunteers, Kharge asked how such donations are collected, who verifies them, and through which official channels they are routed.

He argued that an entity with thousands of offices, full-time pracharaks, uniforms, and extensive outreach programmes cannot escape financial scrutiny merely by describing itself as a “body of individuals”.

Pointing out that every religious and charitable institution in India is obligated to maintain transparent accounts, Kharge said the RSS cannot be exempt from similar accountability, especially when it influences political narratives and public policy. He further questioned how an unregistered organisation could engage foreign lobbyists, saying the contradiction raises deeper concerns about funding and oversight.

With PTI inputs