*Obama Administration staffers of Indian-American origin, who also workedon the Biden campaign, have been reportedly excluded due to their allegedRSS/BJP ties.*
These allegations were reportedly brought to the Biden campaign by over adozen Indian-American organisations.
President Biden has remained inclusive in his picks for key positions inhis cabinet and transitionary team, including Sameera Fazili, anIndian-American of Kashmiri origin, who has recently been appointed as theDeputy Director of the Biden Administration’s National Economic Council.
Furthermore, in addition to being an advocate for international solidaritywith Kashmir, Fazili was one of the prominent voices in the South Asiancommunity against the abrogation of Article-370 in Occupied Kashmir and hasa track record of participating in protests in the United States over theKashmir Issue.
Individuals with RSS/BJP links have not found a place in the BidenAdministration, while secular Indian-American organisations have maintainedthe pressure on the Biden-Harris Transition Team to keep such individualson the sidelines.
Congressional candidate Sri Preston Kulkarni lost the elections afterstrident opposition from Indian-American organisations and former USCongressperson Tulsi Gabbard also lost significant political mileage.
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Sonal Shah has served on Biden’s Unity Task Force but her father was thePresident of Overseas Friends of BJP-USA and is the founder of RSS-run EkalVidyalaya for which she has raised friends.
Jani’s may have been the case of lax vetting. Named Biden campaign’s MuslimOutreach Coordinator, he was re-appointed as National Asian American andPacific Islander Director after it was pointed out that his family has tieswith PM Modi and other BJP leaders.
In order to ensure that the Biden administration does not backtrack onexcluding those with RSS/BJP links, 19 Indian-American organisations havewritten to Biden pointing out that many South Asian-Americans individualswith ties to far-right Hindu organisations in India are affiliated with theDemocratic Party.
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