Analysts say Khanna’s assembly exhibits that he doesn’t wish to alienate his Hindu Indian diaspora vote financial institution within the US.

United States Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna has come underneath sharp criticism for assembly far-right Hindutva ideologue Abhijeet Iyer-Mitra on his current journey to India, with many stating that his embrace of Hindu nationalists is towards the progressive values that he has claimed to espouse.

Khanna, who’s the co-chair of the Congressional India Caucus, is main a bipartisan congressional delegation to the nation of his mother and father’ delivery, the place he has met Indian authorities officers, and enterprise and expertise leaders.

On Monday, Iyer-Mitra posted {a photograph} with Khanna on X, the social media platform previously generally known as Twitter, and stated: “Had a very productive breakfast meeting with @RoKhanna. Free & frank exchange of views. I thank the congressman for his candour & his perspicacity, as well as striving to improve India-US relations.”

Had a really productive breakfast assembly with @RoKhanna. Free & frank change of views. I thank the congressman for his candour & his perspicacity, in addition to striving to enhance India-US relations. pic.twitter.com/4tB4p2sQnY

— Abhijit Iyer-Mitra (@Iyervval) August 14, 2023

In response, Khanna wrote: “Great conversation @Iyervval! Appreciated the candid exchange, your insights about the US India relationship, and the back and forth.”

The Indian-American Muslim Council, an advocacy group primarily based within the US, stated it was “deeply disappointed to see Khanna engaging with a far-right Islamophobe”, and condemned him for embracing those that “enable [this] cycle of hate and violence” towards Muslims.

Since Prime Minister Narendra got here to energy in 2014, Muslims have confronted growing assaults, together with lynchings on mere suspicion of cow smuggling. Many Muslim activists have been thrown into jail for protesting towards the federal government’s anti-Muslim insurance policies.

On August 1, a Hindu mob killed a deputy imam of a mosque in Gurugram metropolis subsequent to the capital, New Delhi, a day after lethal sectarian violence in a neighbouring district in Haryana state. Hundreds of Muslim homes have been demolished by state authorities with out following due course of in what activists say is a “collective punishment” towards the minority group.

A spiritual freedom watchdog, for the fourth yr in a row, in May beneficial that the Indian authorities be added to a blacklist. In its annual report, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) referred to as on the Department of State to designate India as a “country of particular concern” for the worsening situations of minorities within the South Asian nation of 1.4 billion individuals.

We are deeply dissatisfied to see @RoKhanna participating with a far-right Islamophobe who referred to as Khanna’s personal colleague @Ilhan @IlhanMN a “terrorist” & “Al Qaeda.”

Last week, throughout our assembly, you pledged to face with the victims. Yet, you’ve got embraced those that allow this cycle… https://t.co/Id03NgtMJ4

— Indian American Muslim Council (@IAMCouncil) August 15, 2023

Iyer-Mitra has been accused of selling an Islamophobic narrative via his tweets.

Last October, he referred to as Khanna’s Muslim colleague, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, a “jihadi” after her sharp change with an Indian journalist throughout a US House Foreign Affairs Committee listening to on “Human Rights in South Asia” in Washington, DC.

As a part of the Democratic Party’s Progressive wing, which additionally consists of Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib amongst others, Khanna has vowed to reject Hindu nationalism.

Wow!!! Jihadi @IlhanMN simply levelled a set of slanderous Pakistani speaking factors at @AartiTikoo & then doesn’t give her the possibility to reply turning to Fai’s lil ISI muppet Angana Chatterji. Choreographed misuse of her prerogative.

— Abhijit Iyer-Mitra (@Iyervval) October 22, 2019

Iyer-Mitra has additionally spoken and written on Israel’s occupation of Gaza and the West Bank and has stated India has “a lot to learn” from the Israeli use of power and intelligence within the occupied Palestinian territory. He has opposed terming Israel’s occupation as apartheid.

Journalists and lecturers primarily based within the US and India have criticised Khanna for assembly Iyer-Mitra, calling on the congressman to “apologise” to his Democrat colleague Omar and subject a “forceful statement” towards Iyer-Mitra.

Khanna has responded to the criticism by saying he met Iyer-Mitra as he had “sharply criticized my grandfather (see his past posts on me) and we met so I could stand up for my grandfather legacy as a freedom fighter. [India Independence hero Mahatma] Gandhi had a philosophy of engaging with almost anyone – including British colonizers.”

The 46-year-old who represents California’s seventeenth Congressional District stated his “core values have never changed” after assembly individuals he doesn’t agree with.

I’m typically criticized for talking with individuals I disagree. But I proceed to assume we shouldn’t draw back from debates and alternatives to have interaction individuals who have totally different ideologies. My core values have by no means modified because of assembly individuals. @azadessa @ShabanaMir1… https://t.co/IhXRVokcjU

— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) August 16, 2023

‘Appeasing his Indian backers and electorate in US’

Khanna performed a key position in calling for Prime Minister Modi to handle a joint seating of the US Congress on his July journey to the US capital. He authored a bipartisan letter and stated “the way to make progress on human rights is to engage with the Indian PM”.

He has justified his endorsement of Modi saying the Indian prime minister is democratically elected and that he would proceed to talk towards the human rights violations.

“It’s the duty of every American politician of Hindu faith to stand for pluralism, reject Hindutva, and speak for equal rights for Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhist & Christians. That is the vision of India my grandfather Amarnath Vidyalankar fought for,” he had posted on X 4 years in the past in response to an article on the rise of Hindutva – an ideology that requires the supremacy of Hindus in India – within the US.

Khanna’s assembly with Iyer-Mitra has been termed an act of appeasement by a US-based tutorial.

“When he goes and meets with people like Abhijeet [Iye-Mitra] or others who are to the right of Indian Hindutva, he is basically appeasing his Indian backers and electorate in the US,” Mohamad Junaid, an assistant professor at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in New York, advised Al Jazeera.

Junaid stated Khanna represents “the broader character of Hindu Indian diaspora in the US, which often votes for democratic candidates but is also highly radicalised by the Hindutva movement in India and votes for Modi”.

According to the tutorial, the congressman is attempting to align himself with the liberal wing of the Democratic Party however doesn’t wish to alienate the Hindu diaspora, which is an enormous abroad financier.

“He [Khanna] knows what he is doing – he wants to run with the hare and hunt with the hound.”

Khanna has additionally been questioned for not assembly Indian opposition leaders or minority representatives throughout his journey.

The article is paywalled, so I do not actually know to what extent Rep Khanna met with Muslim, Christian, Sikh, and Dalit leaders, or with communities affected by the hateful rhetoric of Abhijit Iyer (whom he did meet).

— professor mir (@ShabanaMir1) August 15, 2023

In June, Khanna hosted Modi in Washington — Modi shouted: ‘Ro Khanna, keep up the good work!’

Now in August, Modi hosts Khanna delegation in Delhi — Modi speech: ‘I am happy, members of US Congress are here’.

But — will CODEL additionally meet non-BJP leaders?, and democracy advocates? pic.twitter.com/icKv2efqnv

— Tejasvi Nagaraja (@TejNagaraja) August 15, 2023