By: Er. MBA Purnima Nath

For the Republican Party, the past several years offered a rare and meaningful opportunity: to genuinely welcome Hindu Indian Americans, a community that is among the most law-abiding, professionally accomplished and civically engaged in the United States. Many of us arrived without privilege or prior networks, built our lives through discipline and hard work, and have consistently supported values traditionally associated with conservatism — family, faith, merit, responsibility and patriotism.

Yet, instead of partnership, many Hindu Indian Americans encountered exclusion and, at times, overt hostility from within the party’s own ranks. In Wisconsin and elsewhere, my efforts to engage constructively with party leadership, including through initiatives such as @HindusandTrump and @iExit9, were met with silence. Attempts to discuss concerns around bias, rising Hinduphobia and institutional barriers went unanswered.

More troubling was the rhetoric and behavior of a militant evangelical segment of the MAGA movement, whose hostility targeted lawful Hindu Indian Americans — including professionals on H-1B visas who contribute significantly to research, innovation and the broader economy. While the political focus was expected to remain on illegal immigration and violent offenders, the discourse often shifted instead toward legal immigrants, creating an atmosphere of suspicion and alienation.

Members of our community faced slurs, derogatory comments and misrepresentations of our faith. Such experiences stood in sharp contrast to the values of dignity, inclusivity and equal opportunity that many of us believed the party stood for.

The recent electoral success of candidates like Zohran K. Mamdani signals more than ideological shifts. It reflects growing frustration with political structures perceived as exclusionary or unresponsive to minority concerns. This moment offers an important reminder to Hindu Americans: our community requires unified advocacy and strong institutions capable of representing our interests with coherence and conviction.

Hindus in America are not political tokens, nor passive observers of intolerance. We are contributors to this nation’s progress, and we must shape our collective future with clarity and independence.

Editor’s Note: The views expressed in this article belong solely to the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the IndoUS Tribune or its editorial board.