‘I’m Not Alone,’ Says Indian-American Activist Kshama Sawant After Govt Denies Visa

Sawant’s mother, Vasundhara Ramanujam, 82, has been unwell for two years, and she has been trying to visit her since May last year. Sawant is a critic of the Modi government.

Kshama Sawant

New Delhi: Kshama Sawant, a former Seattle City Council member, has been barred from visiting her elderly mother in Bengaluru, Karnataka after being denied a visa twice.

Sawant, who has been an outspoken critic of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), alleged on Sunday (February 2) that the denial is a case of “political retaliation” by the Narendra Modi government.

Sawant believes that her criticism of the CAA and her introduction of a resolution in the Seattle council condemning the law may have led to the visa denial. The Ministry of External Affairs has not commented on the matter yet.

“I’m not alone. Modi has retaliated against other activists & journalists, denying or revoking entry into India. My socialist Seattle City Council office took an unwavering stand against India’s right-wing, anti-worker, anti-Muslim PM Narendra Modi & his right-wing nationalist BJP party. Modi & the BJP have waged sustained attacks on workers, farmers, Muslims, and other oppressed groups in India, including with the anti-Muslim, anti-poor CAA-NRC law, which denied citizenship to millions,” Sawant posted on X.

“Working people & the Left internationally need to fight against the right wing and the billionaire class, and their brazen tactics of repression and attacks on immigrants, activists & movements, including with strike action and civil disobedience. Fight against Modi, BJP, Trump, Republicans, Democrats & all the capitalist parties,” she added.

Sawant’s mother, Vasundhara Ramanujam, 82, has been unwell for two years, and Sawant has been trying to visit her since May last year. Despite applying for an e-visa and later an emergency entry visa, Sawant’s applications have been rejected without explanation.

Sawant’s friends have launched an online petition urging the government to grant her a visa, and Sawant is exploring legal options to challenge the denial.

The incident has raised concerns about the government’s treatment of activists and critics, and Sawant’s case has sparked widespread outrage and support. Academics and writers critical of the government have faced entry bans or had their overseas citizenship status revoked in the last few years.

Last February, Nitasha Kaul, a London-based academic, was denied entry at Bengaluru airport without explanation. Kaul is an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI).

Similarly, Sweden-based professor Ashok Swain’s OCI card was cancelled in 2023 allegedly due to his criticism of the government. Writer Aatish Taseer’s OCI status was also revoked in 2019. The development came after Taseer wrote a Time Magazine cover story, “India’s Divider in Chief,” criticising Modi’s leadership.