Amid NRI protest, RSS spokesman meets US State Dept officials

Meeting State Department officials for the second time in two years, Madhav said it was a fruitful and purposeful meeting. Not willing to divulge any details of his deliberations, Madhav told The Indian Express: “It was a meeting meant to exchange notes on various issues concerning India and America.’’

Earlier, a group of NRIs here wrote to the State Department asking it not to hold a meeting with Madhav arguing that this will give “legitimacy’’ to the RSS and its “militant ideology.’’

While the first set of joint statements was issued by 20 South Asian organisations, another letter of protest was written by the Indian Muslim Council.

Declining comment on the protest over the meeting, a State Department official said they welcomed everyone’s point of view. Madhav said of the NRIs’ opposition: “This is a bread and butter issue for these people (who protest against the meeting). We do not give any importance. Let them survive on that.’’

A statement by the Coalition Against Genocide group said it “fails to understand how the State Department officials may benefit by meeting Madhav. Just as the State Department would not lend legitimacy to spokespersons for US racist/ supremacist organisations, it should not to be legitimising the RSS and its functionaries by holding this meeting.’’

Two years ago, there were strong protests from professors as well as students to Ram Madhav’s invitation to talk at two US universities, in Fall of 2004. He will be in the US till September 8 meeting members of think tanks.

The Indian Muslim Council alleged Madhav represented an organisation the State Department had itself dubbed as violent and extremist in its various Human Rights and International Freedom Reports.

“Ram Madhav represents the views of RSS and advocates the Hindutva agenda of forced assimilation of minorities and annihilation of those who resist,’’ the Council alleged.