Ex-Bureaucrat seeks ED, CBDT probe into RSS’s alleged $330,000 payment to US lobbying firm
New Delhi: Former Union government secretary E.A.S. Sarma has written to Revenue Secretary Arvind Shrivastava urging the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) to investigate whether the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) engaged a US lobbying firm by paying $330,000, and whether such funds should attract tax scrutiny in India. His letter, reported by The Wire, raises serious questions about the source, legality and disclosure of funds allegedly used by the RSS for lobbying in the United States.
Sarma drew attention to a filing made before the US Senate by Squire Patton Boggs (SPB), a prominent lobbying firm, which listed the RSS as a client. He also referred to media reports saying that SPB received $330,000 this year from another lobbying firm acting on behalf of the RSS. According to Sarma, this disclosure is troubling given that the RSS is not registered in India, operates through donations known as “Guru Dakshina”, and claims to function only within the country.
Calling the revelations “surprising”, Sarma questioned how the RSS could have paid a US lobbying firm if it neither has legal registration in India nor has disclosed any foreign branch. He asked whether RSS is registered under US law and whether its members — who offer Guru Dakshina as a traditional contribution — were aware that their funds may have been diverted for foreign lobbying.
Quoting traditional definitions, Sarma wrote that Guru Dakshina is meant to express gratitude to the “Guru” for imparting knowledge. Indian tax tribunals have previously upheld tax exemptions for RSS funds, citing this spiritual context. He argued that diverting such funds to a foreign lobbying agency changes their character entirely and raises serious questions of legality and propriety.
Sarma asked the CBDT to demand clarity from the RSS on multiple points: how its name appeared in official US lobbying disclosures, whether it has disclosed any overseas operations to Indian tax authorities, whether Guru Dakshina funds were used for the payments, and whether any foreign remittances were made in compliance with Indian regulations.
The developments follow a report by US-based outlet Prism, which stated that SPB — a firm also retained by the Pakistani government — received $330,000 in 2025 to lobby on behalf of the RSS before the US Senate and House of Representatives. The New York Times separately reported that Pakistan’s lobbying efforts, which included SPB, coincided with favourable shifts from the Trump administration, including a tariff cut from 29% to 19%. During the same period, US tariffs on India were raised to 50%.
These disclosures fuelled a political controversy in India over the transparency and legality of the RSS’s finances and its alleged engagement of a foreign lobbying firm.
Denying the reports, RSS functionary Sunil Ambekar posted on X that the organisation had not hired any lobbying agency. “Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh works in Bharat and has not engaged any lobbying firm in United States of America,” he wrote.
Sarma’s letter, however, argues that the denial does not address the official records filed with the US government. He insists that the issue demands urgent scrutiny from the ED and CBDT due to its implications for tax compliance, foreign exchange laws and the credibility of publicly disclosed financial information.
The matter, first reported by The Wire, is expected to fuel further debate over the RSS’s financial practices and possible violations of Indian regulatory norms.
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Delhi CM Rekha Gupta accuses Mamata Banerjee of stalling SIR; TMC hits back
Kolkata (PTI): Alleging that her West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee had approached the Supreme Court to stall the SIR exercise to prevent the identification of infiltrators, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday claimed that the people of the state have made up their minds to dislodge the Trinamool Congress from power.
The TMC countered strongly, urging Gupta to "look into her own backyard" and accused her of making absurd allegations against the TMC government without checking facts.
Addressing participants at the 'Nari Sankalp Yatra' organised by the BJP's women's wing at Science City auditorium here, Gupta alleged that the "hands-off" and appeasement policies of the TMC government had allowed thousands of infiltrators to enter the state in recent years.
She claimed that this had put a strain on basic rights such as access to water, electricity, ration, education, livelihood and the right to vote for genuine citizens.
"She wants to perpetuate this and hence is trying to stall the SIR exercise, which aims at identifying and deporting infiltrators. Imagine a chief minister going to the apex court to argue against an exercise meant to ensure free and fair polls," Gupta said.
The BJP leader alleged that appeasement politics had reached an "alarming level" under the TMC regime.
Raising concerns over women's safety, she claimed that women in the state were not secure despite having a woman chief minister.
Referring to the rape-murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Hospital, Gupta alleged that the state government had failed to respond adequately to such crimes.
She also referred to the alleged rape of a woman medic in Durgapur and another law student on a Kolkata college campus, claiming that criminals had been emboldened to commit brutalities against women.
She alleged that in crimes against women, overall crime incidents and child marriages, West Bengal remained among the top -- "a slur on a state which once led intellectual and social movements and set examples for the rest of the country," she said.
Criticising the state government's welfare initiatives, she said schemes such as Kanyashree were built on "false claims" and asserted that women needed security rather than assurances.
Accusing the state government of blocking central schemes, Gupta alleged that funds worth "lakhs of crores of rupees" had not reached the poor due to non-implementation of programmes such as Ayushman Bharat, PM Awas Yojana and Jal Jeevan Mission by the state.
"You are only interested in renaming projects and taking credit," she said.
Gupta also alleged that the education sector in the state had been adversely affected, saying several state-run schools had closed due to a shortage of teachers and that the government was opposed to the National Education Policy.
Drawing a comparison with BJP-ruled Delhi, Gupta said, "People have already voted out 'Bhaia' (a reference to former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal). Now it is your turn to bid farewell to 'Didi'." Calling upon women to resist what she termed "strong-arm tactics", she urged them to assert their strength, invoking the imagery of Goddess Durga.
"Bengal has the right to live with dignity, and women have the right to live with dignity," she added.
Reacting to Gupta's allegations, West Bengal Women and Child Welfare minister Shashi Panja accused her of making "absurd allegations" against the Trinamool Congress government ahead of elections.
Panja alleged that during Gupta's tenure in Delhi, several incidents had raised serious concerns, including reports of missing young women and a blast near the Red Fort.
She also criticised the air pollution situation in the national capital, claiming that people were struggling to breathe.
The TMC leader said that despite being in power for a year, Gupta was making "tall claims" instead of addressing key issues in Delhi.
Panja further alleged that the Delhi CM visited West Bengal during elections to "peddle false allegations" against the state government.
Rebutting Gupta, the TMC said in a post on X said, "Madam why did you go off-script again? For your edification, here are the cold, hard facts: In total cases of crimes (IPC + SLL), Bengal ranks a respectable 15th, far safer than BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, which languish near the bottom."
"In overall crime rate, Bengal sits comfortably at 28th. Who's second? Your own Delhi. Double Engine Gujarat and Haryana grab 4th and 5th as top-tier crime havens," the TMC said.
"In child marriage, Assam again takes the shameful pole position. And yet you dare lecture Bengal? Stop embarrassing yourself, stop the hypocrisy, and maybe fix the rotting mess in your own backyard before pointing fingers at a state that's outperforming your disasters on every key metric," the TMC countered.
