Aruna Miller, the new Democratic lieutenant governor of Maryland, has caused concern in the state because of her decade-long relationship with supporters of far-right Hindu nationalist groups.
Miller, a former state legislator, took office last month alongside Gov. Wes Moore (D). Since then, activists and voters have sounded the alarm over Miller’s history of brushing shoulders with nationalist groups and dodging questions about his ties to a violent ideology that has long cracked down on the minority. He and Moore have also faced questions about collecting thousand dollars in political donations from people sympathetic to Hindutva, a far-right nationalist ideology that portrays white supremacy.
Moore-Miller’s campaign site says that “not one dollar in this campaign has anything to do with the Hindutva movement or international politics.” But activists and voters told HuffPost they are concerned that Miller’s political career appears to have benefited from donors and other supporters with strong ties to far-right Hindu nationalist groups. Miller’s capacity to win races and enter public office, he said, signals questionable donations in Democratic races and a potentially dangerous impact on marginalized communities across the US.
“It’s bigger than that [Miller]. It is an example of how there is encroachment into the Democratic Party by fascist entities,” said Susan Kerin, chapter chair for Peace Action Montgomery, the local chapter of the human rights advocacy group Peace Action. “[Miller’s case] a bit more egregious, but definitely something to watch out for.
A spokesperson for the Moore-Miller campaign told HuffPost that Miller “consistently and unequivocally condemns all forms of religious persecution and violence and all hateful ideologies that perpetuate it,” and further noted that she has won the race with the largest number of individuals. votes in Maryland lieutenant governor history.
“While it is unfortunate that some have continued to mischaracterize Aruna’s words, he will continue to be a leader in protecting all Marylanders from any form of religious persecution and violence,” the spokesperson added.
Originally inspired by European ethnonationalism over 100 years ago, right-wing Hindu nationalism advocate for Hindu supremacy through violent and extremist political means. Advocates for Hindutva – which is not Hinduism – have long targeted members of other religious groups, including Muslims, Christians and Sikhs.
Over the last few decades, ideology has increasingly entered global politics.
In 2005, Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi barred from entering the US for the role 2002 Anti-Muslim riot that kills almost 2,000 people.
But after he was elected prime minister of India in 2014, Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party – a Hindu nationalist political party who believe that the country is basically a Hindu country – they can circumvent the ban and are allowed to enter the US
Support for the Modi government remains strong, and not just in India. Nearly half of all Indian Americans approve of his performance as prime minister, with a third of respondents voting for the ruling BJP party, according to a 2020 study by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Miller’s support for Modi and the BJP dates back nearly a decade.
In 2014, as Modi sought support ahead of the election, Miller attended an event in Virginia organized by Overseas Friends of the BJP (OFBJP), the BJP’s international wing. Sudhir Sekhsaria, an allergist in Maryland, is one of the hosts of the show. Sekhsaria has contributed to Miller’s campaign since at least 2011, according to the report public records.
Miller, a Maryland state delegate at the time, made comments about looking forward to seeing Modi in New York after he won the election.
“The last time I was at Madison Square Garden in New York, I thought I saw a rock show. Now there will be a new rock star on September 28, Prime Minister Modi,” he said. said in an interview with The American Bazaar, an American Indian news publication.
“While some make a transformation through music Prime Minister Modi and his team will make a transformation through leadership and a new vision, not only for India but also for the relationship with the United States,” he added.
Miller started trying to get rid of the BJP, tweeting in March 2022 he attended Modi’s 2014 event “before his authoritarian actions as Prime Minister.”
“I have stood up for Muslim rights in Maryland and abroad for my entire career, and that will continue,” she said.
But activists say the tweets are disrespectful because Modi was involved in Hindu nationalism before the 2014 event. And they point out that Miller continues to receive support from figures associated with Modi and the Hindutva movement.
When she launched her race for Maryland’s 6th Congressional District in 2018, Miller brought Sekhsaria on board as her treasurer. Sekhsaria held a fundraiser for Miller in Houston that was attended by several Hindu nationalists. Among them is Ramesh Bhutada, the longtime vice president of the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh USA, the American arm of India’s Hindu nationalist paramilitary volunteer organization called the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, or RSS. BJP is the political arm of RSS.
Members of Bhutada’s family, including Ramesh, have traveled to India for help with Modi’s 2014 election and in between committee of “Hello, Modi” event 2019 in Texas where more than 50,000 people gathered to see the prime minister speak.
Miller for the US Congress was unsuccessful.
He later joined Moore governor’s ticket in December 2021. Along with leaders of two organizations that once supported former President Donald Trump, Sekhsaria hosted a fundraiser for the Moore-Miller campaign in September 2022. He also contributed at least $14,000 in 2022, according to campaign finance records. .
One of those who attended the September event was Or Prasad, national president of OFBJP. The organization registered as a foreign agent in 2022 because federal requirements whether a person or group engaged in political activity on behalf of a foreign country publicly reports its activities and finances to combat foreign influence in the U.S.
Scott Webber, a Democratic activist in Maryland, told HuffPost that he endorsed Miller’s platform as a state delegate — until he learned of her ties to far-right Hindu groups.
“He’s not anti-immigrant. He’s talking about pro-female. He’s talking about religious pluralism. He’s talking about tolerance and he’s talking about the need for open dialogue and anti-violence,” Webber said. “He talks about everything, but supports the BJP.”
“It’s an inappropriate position to take as someone who’s got power. It’s one of ‘Don’t just listen to what I say, look at what I do,'” he added.
Webber now joins a coalition of activists and voters who are increasingly concerned about the influence of Hindutva and are calling for Miller to firmly and publicly denounce the movement. They also want Miller to return the donations he received from people with Hindutva connections and direct the funds to human rights groups.
And they worry that the Democratic Party may increasingly accept candidates who have the support of extremists. The former Rep. Tulsi Gabbarda former Democrat who is now an independent, and Sri Preston Kulkarni, Democratic congressional candidate in Texas, has also faced scrutiny for having donors linked to Hindutva and for courting members of right-wing Hindu groups.
“It’s a racist movement. It’s a caste-ist movement. It’s a supremacist movement. It’s an antisemitic movement. It’s an Islamophobic movement. This will all affect people who are already vulnerable and marginalized in the US,” said Gayatri Girirajan, a member of Peace Action Montgomery. “We need to start seeing the Hindutva movement as a powerful, slow-moving, long-term foreign intervention that has real impact.”