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The Democratic Party of India lobbied US lawmakers after the dilution of Article 370. India’s lobbying expenditure in the US increased under Modi’s administration. New Delhi: In the wake of criticism of the reading down of Article 370 of the Indian constitution, which stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its autonomy, an obscure entity called “The Democratic Party of India” (DPI) attempted to influence US lawmakers’ views. According to The Caravan, the address of the Indian Embassy in Washington is 2107 Massachusetts Avenue. This address was registered as the address of DPI. However, the embassy denied any association with DPI when enquiries were made. Independent journalist Urvashi Sarkar reported that Cornerstone Government Affairs, a Washington DC-based consulting firm, represented the Democratic Party of India. Citing public records filed under the Foreign Agents Registration Act of the US, the report stated that the embassy had a contract. The contract was for “strategic counsel, tactical planning, and government relations assistance on policy matters before the U.S. Government, the U.S. Congress, and select state governments, as well as academic institutions and think-tanks”, allowing India’s lobbying in the US. India’s spend on lobbying in US increased manifold under Modi The report says India’s lobbying in the US – a legal yet controversial method to influence policy – goes back decades. But the Modi government “appears to have taken lobbying efforts in the United States to unprecedented levels. Since coming to power in 2014, it has paid over $10 million to lobbying firms. This payment was made through the Indian embassy in Washington DC, according to the report. It added that these efforts intensified sharply in response to international criticism over the scrapping of Article 370 in August 2019. They also intensified in response to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act passed a few months later. Additionally, they intensified in response to the mass protests opposing new farm laws after September 2020. According to US Department of Justice records, the government signed lobbying contracts worth over $4.41 million between June 2019 and September 2022. Condemnation Following the reading down of Article 370 in August 2019, there was widespread condemnation of the move. “By mid-December, prominent Democrats in the US Congress had sponsored two resolutions aimed at the Modi government.” Both resolutions called on the Modi government to respect human rights. One of the resolutions expressed support for Kashmiri self-determination, according to the report. DPI’s services engaged amid mounting criticism over Article 370 move On December 10, 2019, then-ambassador to the US Harsh Vardhan Shringla informed two senior members of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the US House of Representatives. He stated that he had decided in the interests of “good governance, economic opportunities, and socio-economic justice.” He also mentioned that the situation in Kashmir “had returned to normalcy.” The report stated that Shringla invited members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) to a meeting with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on December 18. The meeting was abruptly canceled. This happened after Pramila Jayapal, the sponsor of one of the resolutions on Kashmir, was added to the list of attendees on the US side. Jayapal had thereafter labelled the cancellation as “deeply disturbing.” Amidst criticism of India, The Caravan report said that on December 1, 2019, Cornerstone Government Affairs began working on behalf of the Government of India. Cornerstone Government Affairs reported this association to the US Department of Justice under FARA. The same day, it added, Cornerstone “acquired a new foreign principal” called the Democratic Party of India. However, in the legal contract, Cornerstone Government Affairs avoided mentioning the DPI. Instead, it identified the Republic of India as the “foreign principal” it was representing. This allowed India’s lobbying in the US. An Indian Express report from December 8, 2019, stated that the Indian Embassy in the US hired Cornerstone Government Affairs. The purpose was to “build a positive opinion in Washington DC and beyond,” enabling India’s lobbying efforts in the US. DPI used for covertly influencing US politicians According to the report, the Modi government used the Democratic Party of India (DPI) to covertly influence US politicians. The report adds that FARA records on the DPI show that Cornerstone Government Affairs emailed at least 10 US lawmakers. They did this on behalf of the DPI. The subjects of these emails included phrases like “offering meeting” and “flagging letter sent to HFAC offices by Ambassador.” On December 10, the day Shringla wrote to HFAC representatives, Cornerstone Government Affairs sent these emails. The following month, Cornerstone Government Affairs disclosed their actions. These actions included arranging an in-person meeting with Eliot Engel, then chairperson of the HFAC, regarding Jammu and Kashmir. They also emailed a “Kashmir update” to HFAC members. In addition, they invited HFAC members to an event with Shringla. Furthermore, they requested meetings with the embassy’s deputy chief of mission, sending these requests to multiple lawmakers’ offices. The report also cited a FARA filing submitted in February 2020. It stated that Cornerstone Government Affairs had done all of this in the name of the Democratic Party of India. In December 2019 and January 2020, Cornerstone documented over 120 communications with Congress representatives for DPI. It also filed its expenditures for this as work for the DPI. It claimed to have spent $38,575 from December 5 to January 2020. Additionally, it reported spending an extra $39,345 on travel expenses and meeting expenses in the DPI’s name. The payments for these expenditures came from the Indian government, allowing India’s lobbying in the US. Lobbied for COVID lockdown, situation on China border The report stated that “by early 2020 it appears that DPI’s lobbying efforts extended beyond the issue of Kashmir.” A filing on the DPI showed that on March 24, 2020, Cornerstone emailed US lawmakers. The subject of the email was “India lockdown for 21 days.” In another August 31, 2020 filing, Cornerstone again identified their foreign principal as the Democratic Party of India. During that period, Cornerstone continued to communicate with US lawmakers on behalf of the DPI, according to