Former Seattle City Council member has alleged ‘political retaliation’ by the Modi government and is exploring the possibility of a legal challenge
Waquar Hasan | Clarion India
NEW DELHI – The Indian consulate has denied a visa to Indian American leader Kshama Sawant, a former Seattle City Council member, preventing her from visiting her ailing 82-year-old mother in India. The rejection is reportedly due to her opposition to the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
On Friday, Sawant expressed her frustration on social media, revealing that her visa had been denied three times.
“My husband and I are at the Indian consulate in Seattle. They granted him an emergency visa due to my mother’s serious illness but rejected mine, stating that my name is on a ‘reject list’ without providing any explanation. We are refusing to leave, and they are threatening to call the police on us,” she wrote on X.
In a follow-up post, Sawant claimed that a consular officer explicitly linked the visa denial to her being on the Modi government’s “reject list.”
“It’s obvious why. My socialist City Council office passed a resolution condemning Modi’s anti-Muslim, anti-poor CAA-NRC citizenship law. We also achieved a historic victory by banning caste discrimination,” she stated.
In February 2020, the Seattle Council, one of the most powerful city councils in the US, unanimously passed a resolution condemning India Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). It was Sawant who had introduced the resolution in the Council at a time when massive protests were going on across India against the controversial citizenship law.
The resolution had asked the Indian Parliament to repeal the amended law and stop the National Register of Citizens and asked India to uphold the Constitution and take steps towards helping refugees by ratifying various United Nations treaties.
When her visa was rejected without any explanation, she protested at the consular officer along with the members of a socialist group Workers Strike Back.
“Workers Strike Back members & I are still at Seattle Indian Consulate, doing peaceful civil disobedience, demanding explanation why my visa was rejected 3 times. If people & media can come to support us, please come now: 3101, Western Avenue, Suite 700,” she wrote.
Meanwhile, the office of Indian consular in Seattle said a law and order situation arose from unauthorised entry of certain Individuals.
“Today, the Consulate was forced to deal with a law and order situation arising from the unauthorised entry by certain individuals into the Consulate premises after office hours. Despite repeated requests, these individuals refused to leave the Consulate premises and engaged in aggressive and threatening behaviour with the Consulate staff,” said India in Seattle on X.
“We were compelled to call in relevant local authorities to deal with the situation. Further action is being initiated against the trespassers,” it added.
According to reports, Sawant’s mother, Vasundhara Ramanujam (82), has been under treatment for two years for atrial fibrillation, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic kidney disease, diabetes mellitus, hypertension and ischemic heart disease. Vasundhara’s health is rapidly deteriorating and that she requires Kshama’s immediate care.
The denial of visa to Sawant has come under criticism holding the Narendra Modi government responsible for the move.
Prakash Ambedkar, President of Vanchit Bhahujan Agadi and great grandson of Dalit icon Bhim Rao Ambedkar, said Sawant was denied visa due to the passage of anti-caste resolution in Seattle.
“Former Seattle Councilmember @cmkshama is on BJP-led administration’s rejection list because she introduced a Bill in Seattle City Council which led to caste discrimination being illegal in Seattle. Is Modi against leaders who are fighting against caste discrimination? The answer is YES! Both in India and anywhere in the world,” said Ambedkar.
US-based socialist group Partisan Defence Committee called the move “blatantly cruel” and “vindictive act of political repression”.
“Kshama Sawant, for many years a socialist Seattle city council member and now leader of Workers Strike Back, wants to go to India to visit her sick mother. But the rightist Modi government’s Seattle consulate has denied her an emergency visa. The Partisan Defence Committee vigorously protests this blatantly cruel and vindictive act of political repression. We demand: Give Kshama Sawant the visa!,” said the Committee.
Sawant is not only Indian diasporas who faced vindictive action for opposing and criticising Indian government. Sweden-based Indian professor Ashok Swain had to move to the Delhi High Court seeking visa to meet his ailing mother after his OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) was cancelled for making critical remarks against Modi government.