New Delhi [India], March 17 : BJP MP Sambit Patra on Tuesday lashed out at the Congress party and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, accusing them of supporting the recent annual report by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) which has backed sanctions on Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW).
Addressing reporters, Patra stated that on behalf of the Indian government, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has responded to the issue, asserting that the US commission works subjectively, while its sources are unreliable and have no facts in their claims. The BJP MP further claimed that the Congress supported the USCIRF's report from their official handle, questioning Rahul Gandhi that upto what extent he can "go against India."
"There is a body in America called the United States Commission for International Freedom of Religion, which in its March 2026 report called for a ban on the RSS and RAW. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), on behalf of the Indian government, has clearly responded to this, stating that this American commission works subjectively. Its sources are not reliable. They have no facts. In a way, the MEA has rejected this commission's report," Sambit Patra said.
"The official handle of the Congress party has supported the March 2026 report of the United States Commission for International Freedom of Religion... To what extent can Rahul Gandhi go against India... It is sad that while speaking against the BJP and PM Modi, today the Congress party seems to be standing against India," he added.
The Government of India on Monday rubbished the USCIRF report which recommended the US government designate it as a "country of particular concern," or CPC and to put sanctions on certain individuals and entities.
A statement by the Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs said that the report was motivated and biased in its characterisation of India.
"We have taken note of the latest report of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). We categorically reject its motivated and biased characterisation of India. For several years now, USCIRF has persisted in presenting a distorted and selective picture of India, relying on questionable sources and ideological narratives rather than objective facts. Such repeated misrepresentations only undermine the credibility of the Commission itself," the statement read.
It further added, "Instead of persisting with selective criticism of India, USCIRF would do well to reflect on the disturbing incidents of vandalism and attacks on Hindu temples in the United States, selective targeting of India, and growing intolerance and intimidation of members of the Indian diaspora in the United States, which merit serious attention."
The recent report by the USCIRF has called for US to reintroduce and pass the Transnational Repression Reporting Act of 2024, "Designate India as a "country of particular concern," or CPC, for engaging in and tolerating systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations, as defined by the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA); Press India to allow US government entities such as USCIRF and the U.S. Department of State to conduct in-country assessments of religious freedom conditions."
It further said, "Impose targeted sanctions on individuals and entities, such as India's Research and Analysis Wing and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), for their responsibility and tolerance of severe violations of religious freedom by freezing those individuals' or entities' assets and/or barring their entry into the United States; Link future US security assistance and bilateral trade policies with India to improvements in religious freedom; and Enforce Section 6 of the Arms Export Control Act to halt arms sales to India based on continued acts of intimidation and harassment against U.S. citizens and religious minorities. The US Congress should: Reintroduce and pass the Transnational Repression Reporting Act of 2024 to require the annual reporting of acts of transnational repression by the Indian government targeting religious minorities in the United States."