Indian-American politician and former Seattle City Council member Kshama Sawant has alleged that the Indian government has denied her an emergency visa to visit her ailing mother in India. Sawant stated that her application was rejected without explanation, while her husband, Calvin Priest, was granted a visa without any issue.
In a statement on social media platform X, Sawant revealed that the Indian consulate informed her she was on a "reject list" and refused to provide further details. She also claimed that officials at the consulate threatened to call the police when she refused to leave the premises.
Sawant's 82-year-old mother, Vasundhara Ramanujam, has been undergoing treatment for multiple serious health conditions, including atrial fibrillation, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic kidney disease, diabetes, hypertension, and ischemic heart disease. With her mother’s health deteriorating rapidly, Sawant has been making urgent appeals for visa approval, but her applications have been denied twice since May 2024, she told TNM earlier.
Sawant has attributed the visa denial to political retaliation by the Indian government, citing her strong opposition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policies. In 2020, she introduced a resolution in the Seattle City Council condemning India's Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC), which were widely criticized for their exclusionary policies.
She has played a key role in the movement against caste-based discrimination in the United States. In 2023, under her leadership, Seattle became the first city in the U.S. to officially recognize caste as a protected category, ensuring legal protection for marginalized caste groups against discrimination.
Despite her repeated requests for an emergency visa, Indian authorities have remained firm in their decision, fueling speculation that the rejection is politically motivated.
Sawant is not the only critic of the Modi government facing such difficulties. Sweden-based professor Ashok Swain, another vocal opponent, is still fighting the cancellation of his Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card, effectively barring him from re-entering the country. Like Sawant, Swain has an elderly mother in need of medical attention. The Indian government has reportedly accused him of engaging in "illegal activities inimical" to the country’s sovereignty and security, a charge he has denied.