PM Narendra Modi and RSS intensify overseas outreach to boost India's image and partnerships

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Hindu nationalist organization linked to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, has organised a series of foreign trips to counter criticism that it is a paramilitary group involved in minority oppression. RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale met academics, policymakers and business leaders in the United States, Germany, Britain and other locations, saying the visits aim to “dispel certain misgivings and misconceptions” about the RSS after a U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom report accused it of violence against minorities.

At the same time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to embark on a five‑nation tour from 15 to 20 May, visiting the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy. The itinerary includes meetings with heads of state, discussions on energy cooperation, defence, green hydrogen, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, trade and investment, and participation in business and research summits. These diplomatic moves underscore a coordinated effort by India’s leadership and its ideological affiliate to improve the country's international standing and deepen bilateral ties across Europe, the Middle East and beyond.