Overview

• Suhag A. Shukla responded to Shashi Tharoor’s criticism of a muted diaspora, asserting that Indian Americans act as U.S. citizens rather than extensions of India’s government.
• She wrote that the community’s civic duty lies in pursuing U.S. national interests and that its engagement occurs strictly within American legal frameworks.
• Citing U.S. Department of Justice data, she noted Pakistan’s registered lobbying at roughly $600,000 per month versus about $275,000 per month by the Government of India.
• She warned that California’s SB509, pending on Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk, could imperil immigrant civil rights through broad definitions of “transnational repression.”
• Shukla highlighted past diaspora contributions to U.S.–India ties and alleged that a small, well-funded cohort advances anti-India narratives that gain traction in media and policy circles.