Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal dismissed the USCIRF as a biased organisation peddling its own agenda against India.
The US commission urged Washington to impose targeted sanctions on RSS members and deny them diplomatic courtesies.
USCIRF officials Asif Mahmood and Gene Mills accused RSS-associated groups of targeting religious minorities in India.
The Ministry of External Affairs sharply rejected demands by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) to impose sanctions on members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal criticised the US federal body during a bi-weekly media briefing on August 21, 2026.
The Indian government dismissed the USCIRF as a 'biased organisation' lacking in credibility. The MEA reaction follows the US religious freedom panel urging Washington to consider sanctions against RSS members rather than hosting high-level meetings.
Misleading and Provocative Statements
Jaiswal directly attacked the commission's track record and motives during Friday's briefing.
Jaiswal said, "The organisation you are talking about is known to everyone as a biased organisation, and for many years, it has been making misleading and provocative statements about India."
The spokesperson urged caution regarding the panel's regular commentary on Indian domestic affairs.
Jaiswal added, "I would say that we should stay away from such organisations because they peddle their own agenda and, at the same time, have no credibility."
USCIRF Demands RSS Sanctions
The controversy began when the USCIRF posted its recommendations on X. The panel cited comments by Chair Asif Mahmood and Commissioner Gene Mills.
Mahmood, a Pakistani-American physician, described the RSS as an umbrella body and the ideological parent of the ruling BJP. He alleged that groups associated with the RSS had been involved in attacks targeting religious minorities.
Mills argued that Washington should deny high-level meetings and diplomatic courtesies to RSS leaders, even when they are linked to the Indian government. He explicitly called for targeted sanctions against RSS members held responsible for violations of religious freedom or freedom of belief.
The hostile remarks from the US commission arrived just prior to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's planned tour of the US, Canada and the UK.
Bhagwat's international tour is scheduled to begin on August 25, 2026.
