Washington: Indian American friends of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government and the ruling BJP are facing enquiry from US authorities under a law that requires Americans working for or on behalf of foreign governments or entities to register themselves and their organisations as "foreign agents".
Investigations are believed to be ongoing against an undefined number of Indian Americans, including one who has declared to be the Indian Prime Minister's longtime friend and admirer and who has led numerous rallies and outreach events including Modi and top members of his cabinet.
A spokesperson for the US Department of Justice's National Security Division, which oversees the Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) that is the subject of these inquiries, declined to confirm or deny whether two Indian Americans - who were specifically mentioned in the request - were under FARA investigation.
Just this past July, a Texas-based organisation became the second organisation set up by Indian Americans to register themselves under FARA - Ethos Foundation (DBA - Bharati Foundation). Its office-bearers are a US-based Indian citizen and two Americans of Indian descent. It was not immediately clear if the organization was forced to register itself under FARA by US authorities or did so voluntarily.
In its registration form, the organisation listed Kishore Poreddy, describing him as the official Spokesperson of BJP, as the person it engages with, and listed the address of the foreign principal -- the BJP -- as Nampally Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
The organisation said its aim is to "communicate with NRIs (non-Resident Indians) and bring political awareness about their Mother country which is India". To that end, it said, its activities are limited to "just helping the Foreign Principal (the BJP) to gain (the) confidence of (the) Indian diaspora so that it can help them in their elections in India".
Regarding the services provided to the foreign principal, the BJP, it stated that it "will assist in communication with Indian diaspora which would help Indians have awareness of India and its politicians and cultural ambassadors, that would assist Indian Diaspora in connecting with Indian cultural and political ambassadors and won't be in darkness about their native country."