Fri Feb 07 03:04:48 UTC 2025: ## Indian-American Politician Denied Visa by Indian Consulate
**Seattle, WA – February 7, 2025** – Kshama Sawant, an Indian-American politician and outspoken critic of India’s Hindu Right, has been denied an emergency visa by the Indian consulate in Seattle, despite her husband receiving one. The consulate offered no explanation beyond stating Ms. Sawant’s name was on a “rejection list.”
Ms. Sawant, a former Seattle City Council member, applied for the visa to visit her ailing mother in Bengaluru. This is the third denial she has faced, having been rejected twice in 2024. She alleges political motivations behind the denial, urging India’s opposition parties to publicly condemn what she calls an “inhumane agenda” preventing families from reuniting.
Ms. Sawant, who now leads the political organization Workers Strike Back, is considering legal action to challenge the visa denial but has yet to formally initiate the process. Her organization advocates for a $25 federal minimum wage and unionization within the tech industry.
First Piper 