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Government: Our strong relationship has bipartisan support in US
Randhir Jaiswal also defended India's use of US lobbying firms and dismissed USCIRF criticism of religious freedoms as politically motivated.
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The India-US relationship has bipartisan support on the US side and New Delhi will continue to focus on strengthening the bilateral strategic partnership, the external affairs ministry said in its first reaction to the sweeping victory of the Democratic Party in the US mid-term elections.
The Democrats wrested control of both the US Senate and the House of Representatives, dealing a blow to the Republican Party, whose fortunes were affected by the growing unpopularity of President Donald Trump over his economic policies and the war with Iran.
External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal described the mid-term elections as “an internal matter of the US” and told a regular media briefing that India’s focus will remain on strengthening the overall relationship with the US. “I have no specific comment on [the mid-term elections], beyond underlining that the India-US relationship enjoys bipartisan support in the US. We continue to work to further strengthen our comprehensive global strategic partnership that we share with the US,” he said.
Also read: What India will watch for: Immigration, tariffs in focus after US midterm results
India’s Use of Lobbying Firms in the US
Jaiswal responded to another question on the Indian government’s hiring of lobbying firms in the US by describing it as a “normal practice” since 1948. Such activities are in line with relevant US laws, he said.
“It is a normal practice in the US for diplomatic missions, as indeed other entities, to hire lobby firms for their outreach and engagement with the US administration, the US Congress, and other relevant stakeholders,” he said, noting that past filing records provide “ample examples” of lobbyists facilitating contacts with US administration leaders and personnel.
“Such engagements by the lobbyists are undertaken in accordance with the applicable US laws, which includes the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), under which the activities of these firms have to be disclosed and put out in the public domain. India has been engaging lobby firms in Washington DC since 1948,” he said.
The lobbying firm SHW Partners LLC, led by President Donald Trump’s aide Jason Miller, said in its latest disclosures under FARA that it arranged eight phone calls between senior White House officials and the Indian government during May-June this year to discuss bilateral relations.
India signed SHW Partners in April 2025 and the contract was renewed for a year in April 2026. The contract was terminated in June after Miller joined the Trump administration.
Also read: After Trump’s midterm setback, eyes on Washington over India-US ties
USCIRF Criticism of Religious Freedoms in India
Jaiswal responded to another question on criticism of religious freedoms in India by two senior officials of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) by describing the organisation as a “prejudiced entity” that cannot be taken seriously.
“The USCIRF is a biased and ill-informed organisation with a blatantly political agenda. It is particularly telling that the USCIRF and its commissioners have consistently chosen to remain silent on attacks on religious places in the US and on hate crimes and racial abuse targeted at the Indian community in the US,” he said.
USCIRF commissioners David Anderson and Joe Grogan had spoken out recently on the alleged targeting of gurdwaras, churches and mosques in India.
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