Indian consulate again denies visa to US's Kshama Sawant - Know who she is?

Seattle-based politician and activist Kshama Sawant has been denied an emergency visa by the Indian consulate in Seattle, US, preventing her from visiting her ailing mother in Bengaluru. However, her husband, Calvin Priest, was granted a visa for the same trip, according to a report by Reuters.

 

According to Sawant, the consular officer did not explain, only mentioning that her name is on a ‘rejection list’. This marks the second time in 2024 that her visa application has been denied. In response, she has urged India’s political Opposition to take a stand, stating, “It is in their interest to defend critics like me against an inhumane agenda.” She has also suggested that Opposition parties unite against policies that prevent Indian citizens from reuniting with their families.

 

Sawant, a former Seattle City Council Member in the US, has indicated that she is considering a legal challenge to the visa rejection, though she has not yet initiated proceedings. 

 

Who is Kshama Sawant?

A long-time advocate for workers’ rights and social justice, Sawant has been an outspoken critic of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration. She has opposed policies such as the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). In 2020, she played a key role in getting the Seattle City Council to pass a resolution condemning the CAA, which drew support from labor unions and civil rights organisations.

 

Her influence extends beyond Indian affairs. During her decade on the Seattle City Council, she pushed for raising the city’s minimum wage to $20.76 per hour, helped pass the JumpStart Seattle tax—which targeted billion-dollar corporations like Amazon—and successfully campaigned to make Seattle the first US city to ban caste discrimination.

 

Claims of political retaliation

Sawant has alleged that her visa denials are politically motivated. She highlighted that she had previously travelled to India without issue, including a visit in June 2022. “For 10 years, I was an elected official in the United States. I suspect the Indian authorities feared backlash if they retaliated while I was in office. Now that I’m no longer in public office, they’ve taken this step,” she stated.

 

Sawant’s mother, Vasundhara Ramanujam, is 82 years old and suffering from multiple life-threatening conditions. Unable to be with her during this critical time, Sawant has described the situation as “inhumane and cruel.”

 

[With inputs from Reuters]