Political Retaliation? Why Is the Modi Government Denying Kshama Sawant a Visa to See Her Ailing Mother?

New Delhi- Indian-American politician and economist Kshama Sawant, known for spearheading Seattle’s historic ban on caste-based discrimination, is facing repeated visa denials from the Indian government despite her desperate attempts to visit her ailing mother in Bengaluru. Sawant, who has applied for an Indian visa three times since May 2024—most recently in January 2025—claims the Modi government is deliberately blocking her entry in an act of “political retaliation.”

With her 82-year old mother, a retired principal, Vasundhara Ramanujam ’s health deteriorating, Sawant and her husband Calvin Priest applied for an emergency entry visa on January 9 at the Consulate General of India in Seattle, even submitting a doctor’s note to substantiate the urgency. But despite being assured a response within days, they have received nothing—no explanation, no decision, and no acknowledgment. Repeated calls to the Consul Officer in Charge, have gone unanswered.

Kshama who hasnt received any official communication from Indian authorities regarding her visa rejections told The Mooknayak, " My application for an e-visa was rejected on May 29, 2024. I applied again for an e-visa, and that was also rejected on June 7th, 2024. No reasons were ever provided for why my e-visa request was rejected twice. Each time, the response merely said, 'Application Status: Rejected'. Then on January 9, 2025, my husband Calvin Priest and I applied for an emergency entry visa at the Consulate General of India in Seattle, on account of my mother’s declining health. We attached a letter from my mother’s doctor to the application. We were told at that time that we could expect a response within one or two days. After a week of receiving no response to our emergency entry visa application, Calvin and I went to the Consulate General of India in Seattle and met with the Consul Office in Charge, Suresh Kumar Sharma, and asked him why we had not received any response to our application. To date, there has been no response to our emergency entry visa application. We have called Mr. Sharma several times on the phone and he has never answered the calls."

Kshama also sent a letter to Foreign Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on June 13, 2024 requesting him to allow her trip to Bengaluru from June 26 through July 15. But she did not receive any acknowledgement or response from him. " I wrote to him explaining the health condition of my mother who is under treatment in hospital since 2 years for Atrial Fibrillation, COPD, Chronic kidney disease, Diabetes mellitus, Hypertension and Ischemic heart disease. I even attached the doctor's letter which stated the necessity of my presence to be at her side looking at her declining health.” Kshama said, who reiterated that she and her husband want to travel to India only to visit her mother and other family members and not for other reasons.

Is advocacy for Seattle’s anti-caste legislation reason behind visa denial?

When asked whether her leading role in the anti-caste legislation in Seattle, vehemently opposed by the Hindu organisations, could be the reason for visa denials, Kshama responded affirmatively. " There seems to be no other plausible explanation at this point than a political rejection by the BJP government. I was a socialist and working-class representative on the Seattle City Council for ten years, from 2014 through the end of 2023. During that time, I used my office to build mass movements of working people and community members to win the $15.hour minimum wage in Seattle, which is now $20.76/hour, the highest minimum wage in the United States. Organizing working people, my office also won the Amazon Tax Seattle’s wealthiest corporations to fund a major expansion of affordable housing. In February 2020, we won a resolution condemning the anti-Muslim, anti-poor CAA NRC citizenship laws from the Modi and BJP government in India. Modi’s Indian Consulate of San Francisco sent a letter to the City Council opposing my resolution. We also faced opposition from many U.S.-based right-wing Hindutva and Modi supporters", she stated.

She further added, " In February 2023, my office, alongside thousands of South Asian and American working people, won the historic ban on caste-based discrimination. Our most high-profile opponent was the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, one of the far-right organizations tied to Modi and his BJP. The right-wing Hindu American Foundation and the Coalition of Hindus of North America also set themselves against us. There is no doubt that the Modi government, with the help of their supporters in the United States, opposed this anti-CAA-NRC and anti-caste legislation won by my City Council office, and that they are aware of my political views".

Presently, Kshama is looking into legally challenging the denial of a visa. "We will be organizing a public petition, and urging that Congress members Pramila Jayapal and Ro Khanna and other elected officials publicly urge the Modi regime allow my husband and me to travel to India to see my sick mother", she said.

The activist says, " I am extremely worried and anxious about my mother’s health. She is 82 years old, and in frail and declining health. I think it is inhumane for the Modi regime to not allow me to see my mother. What kind of government does this? If the Modi government wants to claim that denying me a visa is not a matter of political retaliation against me, then they have a straightforward way of proving it — by granting me a visa so that I can see my sick mother."

Bahujan scholars have strongly condemned the Indian government's action of denying Kshama Sawant a visa, calling it unjust and inhumane. Anti-caste activist Anil H. Wagde stated, “Kshama's mother is on her deathbed and longs to see her one last time. Those responsible for issuing the visa must act with compassion.”

Meanwhile, according to sources, Swedish academic Ashok Swain has also reportedly been denied a visa. The Mooknayak attempted to reach out to Swain for a response but was unable to do so.