Squire Patton Boggs, a prominent Washington DC-based lobbying firm, has disclosed that it has terminated its contract related to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of India’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The firm, which received $330,000 in payments during 2025, amended its US Congress disclosures in December 2025 to clarify that it was hired by an individual, Vivek Sharma, rather than the RSS directly. The contract aimed to “introduce the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to US officials” and was officially ended on September 30, 2025, according to a termination report filed on December 29.
Initially registered in January 2025 under the Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA), the arrangement involved State Street Strategies (also known as One+ Strategies) as the intermediary. Former Republican Congressman Bill Shuster was among the key lobbyists involved.
Early disclosures explicitly named the client as State Street Strategies acting on behalf of the RSS, sparking significant attention after a November 2025 Prism Reports investigation revealed the details. This marked the first known instance of the RSS engaging US lobbyists.
Subsequent amendments retroactively replaced references to the RSS with Vivek Sharma, a resident of Acton, Massachusetts, and executive chairman of Cohance Lifesciences, a pharmaceutical firm with operations in India and the US.
In original filings, Sharma was listed as an entity contributing over $5,000 and participating in or supervising lobbying activities.
The RSS consistently denied any involvement. Spokesperson Sunil Ambekar stated on X in November that the organization “works in Bharat and has not engaged any lobbying firm in United States of America.”
The controversy intensified in India, with Congress leader Jairam Ramesh accusing the RSS of betraying national interests, particularly noting the firm’s simultaneous April 2025 contract to lobby for the government of Pakistan (also since terminated).
A key point of debate was the use of LDA rather than the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). US Department of Justice guidelines exempt LDA-registered entities representing foreign businesses, individuals, or non-profits from FARA, but not those for foreign governments or political parties. As the RSS is neither, the LDA filing was deemed applicable.
Neither Squire Patton Boggs, State Street Strategies, nor Vivek Sharma responded to requests for comment.
The amendments and termination followed media scrutiny, highlighting complexities in foreign influence and lobbying transparency in Washington. — With Agencies Inputs
The firm, which received $330,000 in payments during 2025, amended its US Congress disclosures in December 2025 to clarify that it was hired by an individual, Vivek Sharma, rather than the RSS directly. The contract aimed to “introduce the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to US officials” and was officially ended on September 30, 2025, according to a termination report filed on December 29.
Initially registered in January 2025 under the Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA), the arrangement involved State Street Strategies (also known as One+ Strategies) as the intermediary. Former Republican Congressman Bill Shuster was among the key lobbyists involved.
Early disclosures explicitly named the client as State Street Strategies acting on behalf of the RSS, sparking significant attention after a November 2025 Prism Reports investigation revealed the details. This marked the first known instance of the RSS engaging US lobbyists.
Subsequent amendments retroactively replaced references to the RSS with Vivek Sharma, a resident of Acton, Massachusetts, and executive chairman of Cohance Lifesciences, a pharmaceutical firm with operations in India and the US.
In original filings, Sharma was listed as an entity contributing over $5,000 and participating in or supervising lobbying activities.
The RSS consistently denied any involvement. Spokesperson Sunil Ambekar stated on X in November that the organization “works in Bharat and has not engaged any lobbying firm in United States of America.”
The controversy intensified in India, with Congress leader Jairam Ramesh accusing the RSS of betraying national interests, particularly noting the firm’s simultaneous April 2025 contract to lobby for the government of Pakistan (also since terminated).
A key point of debate was the use of LDA rather than the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). US Department of Justice guidelines exempt LDA-registered entities representing foreign businesses, individuals, or non-profits from FARA, but not those for foreign governments or political parties. As the RSS is neither, the LDA filing was deemed applicable.
Neither Squire Patton Boggs, State Street Strategies, nor Vivek Sharma responded to requests for comment.
The amendments and termination followed media scrutiny, highlighting complexities in foreign influence and lobbying transparency in Washington. — With Agencies Inputs