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Rep. Khanna distances from Hudson event over RSS ties
The Hudson Institute’s New India Conference, attended by the RSS general secretary, featured a video message from Rep. Ro Khanna.
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Jeffin T. Kaleekal - Mon, 27, Apr 2026
- 02:03 EDT
- 47
Congressman Ro Khanna / Wikimedia commons
Congressman Ro Khanna distanced himself from an event featuring Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale, on April 25.
Rep. Khanna had delivered a video message at the Hudson Institute’s New India Conference. Khanna was questioned about his stance after Hosabale participated in a fireside chat at the event.
Reacting to a now-deleted post, reportedly by the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), Khanna wrote, “I did not appear. Hudson, a think tank, asked for a 1-minute video, which we provided. Have no idea on their guest list and certainly do not support RSS in any way.”
I did not appear. Hudson, a think tank, asked for a 1 minute video which we provided. Have no idea on their guest list and certainly do not support RSS in anyway.
— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) April 24, 2026
The Hudson event was also attended by BJP foreign affairs in-charge Vijay Chauthaiwale and former national general secretary Ram Madhav.
ALSO READ: RSS outreach, culture can coexist with modernity: General Secretary Hosabale
During the event, Hosabale outlined the organization’s global outreach, its civilizational worldview and its role in shaping social cohesion, arguing that cultural values and modernization “can exist simultaneously” as India deepens engagement with the United States and other Western countries.
Talking about Hindu identity, he said, “Hindu identity is a civilizational identity, not a religious one … there is no room for being alienated,” he said, adding that dialogue with different groups is essential to address “misconceptions” and “misgivings.”
Khanna, who has been a long-term critic of the RSS and right-wing ideologies, had previously called out Indian American United States Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard after media reports surfaced claiming her close ties with the RSS.
Khanna had then responded to a Caravan article alleging such ties and said, “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, Buddhists & Christians.”
He continued, “That is the vision of India my grandfather Amarnath Vidyalankar fought for.”
In his tweets, Khanna has also noted that his grandfather had spent four years in jail with Mahatma Gandhi, was in the first Indian Parliament and was also a member of India’s Congress party.
Discover more at New India Abroad.
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