Overview
- The six‑page pledge was issued by Hindus for Human Rights Action and SACRED Acts and announced on August 31, with roughly 90 federal, state and local politicians signing on.
- Signatories include Reps. Ro Khanna and Pramila Jayapal and candidate Abdul El‑Sayed, and Khanna said he donated away a $6,600 contribution he identified as tied to an alleged RSS‑linked donor.
- The pledge asks officials to refuse future donations from people or groups linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, and to return or redirect previously received funds to pro‑democracy causes while rejecting political violence.
- Hindu American groups including HAPAC and the Hindu American Foundation condemned the campaign as discriminatory, saying it singles out Hindu donors and that some signatories were misled or pressured.
- The move follows RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s Madison Square Garden appearance on August 29 and a prior U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom call for sanctions, and could reshape donor scrutiny and diaspora political engagement in U.S. campaigns.