Tulsi Gabbard, US presidential hopeful turns out to be 'Hindu nationalist'

The Hawaii Democrat has fought against anti-Modi resolution introduced by some members of Congress

Tulsi Gabbard is proving to be a rising star in the progressive section of the American Democratic Party but she is turning out to be quite a polarizing figure.

Gabbard’s progressive domestic politics are at odds with her support for right-wing leaders abroad, including Modi, Sisi, and Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, according to The Intercept.

As right-wing nationalism spreads across the globe, it is beginning to be recognized as an existential threat to a world order rooted in liberal democratic values, and Gabbard, an Iraq War veteran, is now being pushed forward to choose sides.

Gabbard was generously welcomed earlier by pro-Modi elements of the Hindu-American diaspora in the US, who have donated wholeheartedly for her election campaigns.

But as she announces her bid to run for the US presidential elections 2020, she has publicly cut ties with those passionate supporters on at least one occasion while continuing to court them in private.



In June 2014, after Modi won the election, nearly 700 of his supporters gathered at a Hindu temple in Atlanta to celebrate and plan their path forward. To mobilize their community, the speakers laid out a plan that included a call for donations to Gabbard’s re-election campaign.

They had referred the Hawaii Democrat as an “American Hindu” who “has fought against the anti-Modi resolution introduced recently by some members” of Congress.

The event was organized by the Overseas Friends of the BJP, the American chapter of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Gabbard had landed on the group’s radar as one of America’s few pro-Modi lawmakers.

In December 2013, she had voiced her opposition to House Resolution 417, which lambasted India to protect “the rights and freedoms of religious minorities” and referred to incidents of mass violence against minority Muslims that had taken place under Modi’s watch.

Hindu-Americans have backed Gabbard since the start of her political career and that support originates from Hindu nationalists, which has increased considerably since Modi’s election.

In a November 2017 video message, Gabbard declared that she would be chairing the 2018 World Hindu Congress, a conference held once every four years organized by Hindu nationalist groups such as Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America (VHPA) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

She characterised the event as a “global platform where Hindus will be able to come together, share ideas and inspiration, as we seek ways to positively impact the communities around us and around the world.”

Dozens of Gabbard’s donors have either stated their support or accepted their ties to the Sangh Parivar — a network of religious, political, paramilitary, and student groups that subscribe to the Hindu supremacist, an exclusionary ideology known as Hindutva.

This article originally appeared in The Intercept.