Remember how certain media houses and journalists reported about RSS engaging a lobby firm in the US?

It was amplified by the Congress as well.

The moment leftist rags like The News Minute, The Wire, and their ecosystem started barking in unison, it became obvious that this wasn’t organic outrage.

What initially appeared to be a sporadic criticism of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has now been exposed as part of a larger, well-funded international campaign.

Investigations reveal that, the ongoing narrative targeting the RSS is a coordinated effort involving U.S.-based lobbying outfits, Pakistan-linked propaganda networks, and tacit support from the Indian National Congress.

Foreign-Funded Lobbying Pipeline And Deflection Strategy

At the center of this network lies the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), a U.S.-based organization with historic ties to Jamaat-e-Islami and Pakistan-linked groups. The group has long been under the scanner for lobbying U.S. policymakers against India using selectively curated human rights data and sensationalist narratives.

The recent barrage of attacks on the RSS is reportedly an attempt to preempt investigations into this very lobbying network. By accusing RSS of being a foreign influence and calling for its registration under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), these actors aim to deflect scrutiny away from their own foreign funding sources and influence operations.

It is noteworthy to mention that IAMC also awards cash prizes to Indian leftist journalists and media outlets under its Human Rights & Religious Freedom Journalism (HRRF) Awards. In June 2022, it awarded ₹ 3 lakh to reporters and portals like Newslaundry, The News Minute, The Wire, The Caravan, Scroll.in, Mooknayak, and Article 14 — all for coverage aligned with IAMC’s anti-India narratives on Muslim persecution and Kashmir.

Now you know why The News Minute has published a video on the same topic.

Further findings show that IAMC and its allied groups had established channels inside U.S. institutions long before the current campaign. Payments made to certain Washington lobbyists were followed by questionable alterations in official U.S. documents, including the removal of Kashmir from India’s map by USCIRF.

It has also emerged that several IAMC-linked fronts were quietly shut down once their foreign funding routes and lobbying activities began attracting scrutiny. The sudden push to target the RSS began only after these linkages started surfacing, suggesting an attempt to shift attention away from their own exposure.

Meet Prism: The Outlet At The Helm

One of the platforms leading this anti-RSS charge is “Prism,” originally launched as the Daily Kos Education Fund. Backed by Open Society Foundations (run by George Soros) and the Ford Foundation, Prism has pushed for RSS to register under FARA, even though such registration is typically reserved for foreign political parties and governments, which the RSS is not.

It has come to light that Prism began as an extension of a partisan U.S. political activist platform and continues to operate within the same ideological ecosystem. Its newsroom includes individuals closely associated with major left-wing campaigns in the U.S., indicating that the outlet is far from neutral. Prism also relies on politically aligned fundraising platforms and donors known for financing activist journalism and ideological campaigns, raising further questions about its motivations.

Prism’s argument collapses when compared to similar cases: the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the American Hellenic Institute, and the Arab American Institute all operate under the Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA), not FARA.

Prism’s So-Called “Experts”

An analysis of Prism’s primary sources further reveals significant ideological and financial overlaps.

Ben Freeman, Director at the Quincy Institute, is one of the main voices in the campaign.

Additional details indicate that Freeman’s work is funded by the same constellation of foundations that support Prism, creating a circular arrangement where one network validates another.

His organization received a $500,000 founding grant from George Soros’s Open Society Foundations—the same foundation funding Prism.

Raqib Hameed Naik, the founder of Hindutva Watch, is another cited expert. His work is indirectly supported by Pakistani propaganda outfits, particularly through map features sponsored by Imran Kayani, who runs the Pakistan-backed Global Village Space.

It has come to light that early iterations of Hindutva Watch were administered from Pakistan and Turkey, and that some of its visual maps and tools were sponsored by individuals behind long-running Pakistani propaganda initiatives. Naik’s collaborations with Pakistani-origin filmmakers and activists further reinforce the pattern of ideological alignment rather than independent reporting.

Audrey Truschke, a historian at Rutgers University, has ties to the American Institute of Pakistan Studies.

Further examination reveals her association with Pakistan-focused institutions, missionary-linked networks within India, and engagements with platforms based in Lahore and other Pakistani cities. Her prior statements on Hindu figures and Indian history have also drawn criticism for their overt ideological tilt.

Her familial linkages include individuals involved in Christian missionary activity in India, raising questions about ideological motivations.

The Real Foreign Influence: IAMC’s Decade-Long Anti-India Operation

While Prism targets the RSS’s legal activities, a US-based network of organizations has spent the last decade building a sophisticated anti-India lobbying ecosystem that poses a genuine threat to India’s sovereignty and international standing.

It has emerged that IAMC not only curated misleading datasets but also deleted entire projects once their fabrications were exposed. A database claiming to record atrocities against minorities was revised multiple times before being permanently wiped out in late 2024.

Additional evidence indicates that IAMC’s leadership has longstanding affiliations with organisations rooted in Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan, including groups historically linked with individuals who have supported extremist movements in Kashmir.

IAMC has also been linked with Islamist organizations such as ICNA (Islamic Circle of North America).

IAMC also runs a project called Hindutva Profiles — a website that targets Hindu public figures and portrays them as “hate mongers,” indicating that the lobby group is not just influencing policy, but also actively shaping narratives against Hindu voices.

The Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) stands at the center of this network. A US front with linkages to Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan-linked organizations, IAMC has a history of questionable activities:

Its executive director coordinated with USCIRF Commissioner Maenza. After lobbying funds were directed to Maenza’s associate, the USCIRF remarkably removed Kashmir from India’s map in its reports.

Booked under UAPA in 2021 for spreading fake news, IAMC collaborates extensively with Khalistani networks to push Pakistan’s anti-India, pro-Kashmir narratives to US policymakers.

The organization has influenced every major anti-India congressional hearing in recent years, providing witnesses, testimony, and fabricated databases to support predetermined political conclusions.

IAMC’s lobbying efforts consistently mirrored Pakistan’s official positions on Kashmir, Article 370, and separatist narratives, suggesting strategic alignment rather than genuine civil rights advocacy.

The Role of Congress in Mainstreaming This Network

Perhaps the most concerning revelation is the extent to which the Indian National Congress has engaged with this ecosystem:

Sonia Gandhi sent official congratulatory messages to IAMC.

Former Vice President Hamid Ansari participated in IAMC events.

Congress veteran Mani Shankar Aiyar maintained ties with Pakistani Kashmir lobbyists.

Rahul Gandhi’s 2023 U.S. tour was reportedly coordinated in part by IAMC-affiliated groups.

These associations grant IAMC and its affiliates the democratic legitimacy they need to present themselves as mainstream Indian voices while lobbying against India in foreign capitals.

It has come to light that Sonia Gandhi’s congratulatory message to IAMC’s predecessor was instrumental in giving the group early legitimacy among U.S. policymakers. Further findings reveal that Hamid Ansari appeared on IAMC-linked platforms even as the group coordinated with Pakistan-aligned activists. Mani Shankar Aiyar’s long association with a U.S.-based lobbyist later hired by the Pakistani government to influence Washington on Kashmir adds another layer to this troubling pattern. Rahul Gandhi’s U.S. events in 2023 were facilitated by organisations linked to IAMC and ICNA, several of which have also collaborated with Khalistani separatist elements abroad.

The Bigger Picture: Who’s Really Behind the Curtain?

The goal of these coordinated campaigns, the report suggests, is to apply external pressure to undermine Indian democratic processes and unseat the ruling BJP. With these efforts failing electorally, the narrative has shifted to attacking legally compliant Indian entities like the RSS while obfuscating their own questionable funding channels and influence agendas.

This is not merely about ideological opposition. The pattern reveals a sophisticated ecosystem that:

• Leverages U.S. institutions for anti-India lobbying
• Employs AI-generated data and testimonies to create the illusion of grassroots dissent
• Promotes a narrative of victimhood while maintaining strategic silence on Islamist violence and separatist agendas

It has come to light that the shift toward attacking the RSS began precisely when multiple Washington-based networks, including IAMC and its affiliates, were facing increasing scrutiny over their funding sources, fabricated data, and lobbying links to Pakistan. The timing strongly suggests an attempt to pre-empt accountability by flipping the narrative and portraying a legally compliant Indian organisation as the threat.

What Now?

The investigation poses critical questions: Will Indian commentators and platforms that amplified the anti-RSS campaign acknowledge this foreign-funded network? Or will the focus remain conveniently restricted to targeting domestic entities while ignoring international actors interfering in India’s internal affairs?

As the smokescreen begins to lift, the real foreign influence operation is no longer hidden: it’s anchored in Pakistan-linked networks, funded by foreign foundations, and legitimized by select Indian political actors. The narrative against the RSS, critics argue, is a diversion; a calculated maneuver to shield this troubling ecosystem from scrutiny.

(This article is based on an X Thread By Radical Watch)

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