NEW YORK (Diya TV— About 90 U.S. elected officials and candidates have signed a pledge to reject campaign contributions linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, or RSS, following the U.S. visit of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.

Hindus for Human Rights Action and SACRED Acts announced the pledge Aug. 31. Organizers said signatories include Democrats and Republicans at the federal, state and local levels across eight states.

The pledge calls on signatories to reject political violence and intimidation, refuse contributions linked to the RSS and its affiliates, and return or redirect such contributions if identified.

The announcement followed Bhagwat’s appearance at the Universal Oneness Celebration at Madison Square Garden in New York on Aug. 29. Organizers said more than 5,000 people attended the event.

The event also drew protests from civil rights and religious organizations. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani criticized the RSS ahead of the gathering while saying the city could not cancel a private event at Madison Square Garden.

The RSS, founded in India in 1925, is a Hindu nationalist organization with longstanding ties to the Bharatiya Janata Party. The organization describes itself as a social and cultural volunteer movement.

Bhagwat’s visit also drew criticism from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, or USCIRF.

In an Aug. 26 statement, USCIRF called on the U.S. government to consider sanctions against individuals it said were responsible for severe religious freedom violations and urged officials to revoke Bhagwat’s visa. USCIRF is an independent federal commission whose recommendations are advisory.

In its 2026 annual report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. government designate India a “Country of Particular Concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act.

India has rejected USCIRF’s criticism. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal called the commission’s remarks biased and said it lacked credibility.

Organizers listed U.S. Reps. Ro Khanna, Pramila Jayapal and Robin Kelly among the pledge signatories, along with other federal, state and local officials and candidates.