US President Donald Trump’s post on his social media platform Truth Social in June, when Narendra Modi passed a milestone in his tenure as India’s prime minister, was arranged by the US lobbying firm Mercury Public Affairs.
The firm was paid $75,000 a month for the work, according to documents filed under the United States’ Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).
The Indian Express reported that the Modi government hired Mercury after Trump was re-elected. The firm’s senior figures include Bryan Lanza, former communications director of Trump’s transition team. Susie Wiles, described in the report as Trump’s outgoing chief of staff, was also a registered lobbyist for the firm until the end of 2024.
Separately, SHW Partners LLC, the firm of Trump’s close associate Jason Miller, arranged eight phone calls between India’s central government and senior White House officials. The calls, held in May and June, concerned India-US relations.
India signed its contract with the firm in April 2025, under which it was to pay $150,000 a month. The contract was cancelled on 23 June after Miller joined the Trump administration as a special government employee.
Under US law, firms carrying out political activity in the United States on behalf of foreign governments must regularly disclose their work, clients and financial transactions. The recent filings by Mercury and SHW Partners set out the details of these activities.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report