RSS Friends registers with US Justice Department as foreign agent of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh

A group of supporters and well-wishers of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in the United States has registered with the US Department of Justice as a foreign agent. The group is called RSS Friends. The registration lists the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, located at Keshavkunj in New Delhi, as its foreign principal.

The registration was made under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). RSS Friends filed its application with the Justice Department on August 27. Official documents give the group's address as the US state of Georgia.

A board of directors has been formed to run and oversee the group. It mainly has three members: Rajendra Sonrikar, Jayant Pant and Devanand Gaddam. The board will oversee the group's activities and administrative work in the US.

According to the information the group has given the US administration, its proposed activities relate mainly to information, education, public outreach and community engagement. Some points have been listed separately.

The first is education and the spread of information, under which awareness will be raised in society about the organisation's objectives and Indian culture. The second is broad public outreach, with direct communication with the general public, journalists, media organisations, researchers, and academic and policy institutions.

The third is community and institutional engagement. This includes keeping in touch with community leaders and civil society organisations, and, where needed, with government agencies or officials.

In the registration documents, RSS Friends has clarified that it has no written agreement with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in India for employment, consultancy, lobbying, public relations or compensation-based agency.

The group has also said that the absence of a written agreement does not mean there is no relationship, request, understanding, coordination or direction between the two. According to the group, it will disclose with full transparency the actual and practical facts relating to its activities.

The documents describe the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh as an unincorporated body of individuals or voluntary associations located in India. It is also described as a voluntary and socio-cultural organisation. With FARA registration in the US, the group will be able to carry out its activities lawfully within the framework of US rules.