Kshama Sawant has accused the Indian government of politically motivated retaliation and unjustly denying her a visa, as her struggle to visit her ailing mother in India continues. Sawant, an Indian-American activist and former Seattle City Council member, remains in a state of distress as she faces continued roadblocks in her attempt to travel. She has been denied an Indian visa three times and claims she is being targeted due to her political views. According to news reports, Sawant first applied for a visa in May 2024, followed by another application in June 2024, both of which were rejected without explanation. In early 2025, she submitted an emergency visa request, providing medical documentation confirming her mother’s deteriorating health due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, and heart disease. Despite the urgency, her request remains unaddressed.

“I am left with no other conclusion than this is political retaliation,” Sawant said in a recent interview. She pointed out that while her own visa was rejected multiple times, her husband, Calvin Priest, was granted permission to travel to India, adding to her suspicions about the motivation behind the denials.

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In a bid to gather momentum, Sawant has been actively protesting on X (formerly Twitter) even convincing people to sign a petition in order to bring this matter under public light. The form mentions Sawant as a prominent socialist leader and an outspoken critic of “India’s right-wing Hindu fundamentalist Modi government”, who has previously condemned policies such as the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). In 2020, she sponsored a Seattle City Council resolution opposing the CAA, a move that drew both national and international attention. She also played a key role in making Seattle the first U.S. city to ban caste-based discrimination, a decision opposed by Hindu right-wing groups. The petition argues that Sawant’s situation is part of a broader pattern of repression against dissenting voices.

According to media reports, her recent struggles align with a broader trend of visa denials faced by public critics of the Modi administration, including academics and activists such as Ashok Swain, Aatish Taseer and Nitasha Kaul. The Indian government has not provided an official reason for these decisions, further fueling speculation of political reprisal.

Sawant and members of her activist organisation, Workers Strike Back, have since taken their protest to the Indian Consulate in Seattle. In a recent tweet, she announced their ongoing civil disobedience at the consulate, demanding an explanation for the repeated visa rejections. “If people & media can come to support us, please come now: 3101, Western Avenue, Suite 700,” she wrote. With no clear response from Indian authorities, her ability to visit her critically ill mother hangs in the balance, adding a deeply personal dimension to the larger political debate surrounding her visa battle.