On May 13th, the Hindu American Foundation wrote to California Senator Alex Padilla about his response to constituents who raised their concerns about the April 22nd terror attack in Pahalgam, India. This response from HAF followed an outpouring of offensive from the Hindu American community about the way in which Sen. Padilla responded to constituents.
In his Sen. Padilla’s reply he failed to even mention the Kashmir attack and rather replied with his own concerns about alleged religious freedom issues in India, as well as bringing up issues in India dating back to 2019, not entirely germane to the attack.
The substance of HAF’s letter is below:
“As Hindu and Indian Americans, we must express our deep concern and disappointment with both the content and tone of your reply, especially in light of the outrage and anguish members of our community are experiencing. While both American and global leaders swiftly and unequivocally condemned the attack and expressed solidarity with the victims, your response, sent weeks later, failed to even acknowledge the tragic incident at all.
For decades, Indian and Hindu Americans have sounded the alarm about Pakistan and its military leaders’ use of terrorism to advance territorial ambitions, as well as the spectre of instability and nuclear terror employed to secure US support. Pakistani-backed terrorism in Kashmir long predates BJP rule in India, the revocation of Article 370, or the passage of the CAA. Despite repeated losses of civilians and military personnel over the years, India has remained unwaveringly committed to proportionality, peace, and restraint. Since the attack, there have been inspiring displays of unity from religious minority groups and members of opposing Indian political factions, all condemning the attack and supporting India’s right to self-defense.
Yet astoundingly, your response ignored all of these facts. Instead, you chose to reply with recycled and contested criticisms of Indian domestic policies, along with biased claims from the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), a body that has long excluded Hindus and erased Hindu victims of religious persecution. Such framing was not only inappropriate and inaccurate, it reflected a profound lack of empathy and understanding. Responding with recycled, irrelevant 2019 messaging conveys a shocking degree of indifference, contempt, and even gross negligence towards your own Indian and Hindu American constituents reaching out to express heartfelt grief.
California is home to one of the largest and most vibrant Indian and Hindu American communities in the country. They deserve better than elected officials who respond to constituents’ concerns about terror attacks with condescension, distortions, and implicit victim blaming. They also deserve better than what appears to be a boilerplate response, possibly repurposed from prior India-related statements, but with little to no effort to incorporate the specific concerns raised or the gravity of recent events.
When constituents contact their Senator in grief over a terror attack, they expect moral clarity, not recycled talking points, dismissive rhetoric, and moral equivocation. Whatever the context of your response, it represents a grave disservice to your constituents.
We sincerely hope your office will seriously reflect on its obligation to treat your Indian and Hindu American constituents with the same respect and seriousness afforded to other Californians, and to approach complex issues like global terrorism and US–India relations with greater empathy and effort.”
