As Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Mohan Bhagwat took the stage at New York City’s Madison Square Garden on Saturday to deliver a message of “universal oneness”, a group of nearly 90 American politicians was preparing a different memo: they would not accept political contributions from entities linked to the Hindutva organisation he leads.The pledge, announced on Monday by Hindus for Human Rights Action and SACRED Acts, commits elected officials and candidates across eight American states to reject contributions connected to the RSS and its affiliates. The signatories include members of Congress, state legislators, mayors, local elected officials and candidates from both Democratic and Republican circles.The six-page pledge also asks politicians to reject political violence and intimidation; and return money from RSS entities and supporters or redirect it to organisations supporting democracy.Among the most prominent signatories are members of the US House of Representatives Pramila Jayapal of Washington, Ro Khanna of California and Robin Kelly of Illinois. Michigan’s newly-elected Democratic nominee for the Senate race Abdul El-Sayed was among those who signed on, as was New York’s Brad Lander, a Democratic congressional nominee who also attended protests against Bhagwat’s talk in the city on Saturday.“I’m proud to lead on this pledge and re-assert my commitment to overcome the RSS and their attacks on global democracy,” Khanna said.Returning contributionsFor some politicians, the pledge was accompanied by an immediate financial action.At the forefront of this was Khanna, who said he was returning a $6,600 contribution he recently received “from a pro-MAGA, billionaire with ties to the RSS”.Khanna said he would not allow the RSS to “create a PAC or influence elections in the US”, he said. In the US, a PAC or political action committee is a private group that pools money from members, donors or employees to fund political campaigns.Since he was elected to Congress in 2016, Khanna has had close ties with the Hindu-American community and its advocacy groups.Early in his political career, for example, he attended gatherings organised by the Hindu American Foundation.The Hindu American Foundation has opposed efforts to explicitly recognise caste discrimination in US law. However, it describes itself as a nonpartisan Hindu civil-rights organisation and has denied any affiliation with the RSS.PRESS STATEMENT| HAF has filed a reply brief in the Ninth Circuit seeking to remove procedural barriers in its case against California’s @calcivilrights, challenging its enforcement approach linking “caste” claims to Hinduism and Hindu, Indian, and South Asian Americans.…— Hindu American Foundation (@HinduAmerican) April 14, 2026