Sign in

Ria Chakrabarty

@riachia93.bsky.social
626 followers 376 following 428 posts

Dimaagi naxal By day: directing policy at Hindus for Human Rights (@hfhr.bsky.social) and setting up Hindus for Human Rights Action (@hfhraction.bsky.social) By night: writing about pop culture and politics at substack.com/@popculturegeopolitcs

PostsRepliesMedia
Ria Chakrabarty @riachia93.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I need to know the demographic breakdown of the critics for the Top 100 TV list.
100
Reposted by Ria Chakrabarty
Rep. Lloyd Doggett @doggett.house.gov · 02/10/2026
[1/2] I commend UT Professor Jason Brownlee for speaking out. UT leadership, taking cues from Abbott's political agenda, is pushing through sweeping changes behind closed doors, threatening the academic excellence generations of Longhorns have built. www.statesman.com/opinion/colu...
statesman.com
UT’s leaders are putting the university’s academic strength at risk | Opinion
Faculty and students deserve a voice as the University of Texas reshapes its core curriculum and reorganizes academic departments, UT professor Jason Brownlee writes.
2146
Reposted by Ria Chakrabarty
Austin Kocher, PhD @austinkocher.com · 01/10/2026
When Matthew Soerens of World Relief tells Christians the Trump administration has banned persecuted Christians, many don't believe him. We talked about why. Listen to the whole conversation: austinkocher.substack.com/p/president-... @matthewsoerens.bsky.social
Quote card. Matthew Soerens, World Relief: “Occasionally, they do not believe this data, because they’ve heard so much rhetoric about Donald Trump being a great champion of persecuted Christians. It just is so dissonant with the rhetoric.” From the conversation President Trump Bans Christians Fleeing Persecution, austinkocher.substack.com
732687
Reposted by Ria Chakrabarty
Jen Rice @jenrice.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
NEW: For anyone who has been wondering about what happens if election denier TX Attorney General Ken Paxton loses the Senate race www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
democracydocket.com
Why top Texas election denier Ken Paxton could cause chaos if he loses his Senate race
Ken Paxton has election interference tools and he’s proven his willingness to use them. But legal experts are confident that courts are up to the task of protecting the will of the voters.
27626
Ria Chakrabarty @riachia93.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Since Aga’s is in the news, FYI Houston food is just that good in general. But I WILL be gatekeeping sorry 😌
001
Reposted by Ria Chakrabarty
The Progressive Caucus @usprogressives.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
WATCH NOW: New CPC Member Rep. Aisha Wahab (CA-14) gives first ever House floor remarks
0133
Reposted by Ria Chakrabarty
David Orkin @david4queens.com · 22/09/2026
Thank you to @rabbis4ceasefire.bsky.social, @jfrejnyc.bsky.social, @jvp.bsky.social, and Congregation Kolot Chayeinu for creating a beautiful and moving Yizkor service yesterday during Yom Kippur. I feel ready to recommit to a year of solidarity and steadfastness. G’mar tov.
Mahmoud Khalil speaking at the Yizkor at Grand Army Plaza, behind him are the words “Refuse Remember Recommit” and on the podium it reads “For the sin of genocide we atone.”Crowd photo in front of the fountain at Grand Army Plaza. AM Diana Moreno, Senate candidate Aber Kawas, and Assembly candidate David Orkin gently smiling at Grand Army Plaza.
13111
Ria Chakrabarty @riachia93.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
There was a lot of uproar from Republicans about Bo French’s racist comments, and very little commentary about this. And of course, this is directly linked to an entire TX GOP convention warning about “creeping Sharia.”
031
Ria Chakrabarty @riachia93.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
One time I shared a tweet in a work group chat from a guy who went by a nickname for Enrique
000
Ria Chakrabarty @riachia93.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I think, in Texas, we need to just say the quiet part out loud: Republicans hate UT
010
Ria Chakrabarty @riachia93.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
All this pro-Palestine backlash for Ed Sheeran means he’s just going to go move to Mumbai and hang out with Ranveer Singh and the Ambani from now on
130
Ria Chakrabarty @riachia93.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
How do we lobby the FDA to either update or loosen its SPF regulations so we get the most up-to-date sunscreen technology? I want good sunscreen!
000
Reposted by Ria Chakrabarty
Erin Reed @erininthemorning.com · 14/09/2026
Some Dems are running away from trans people. Abdul El-Sayed, Dem Senate Candidate in Michigan, is running towards them. When asked, he fully and unequivocally support trans youth care as a matter between parents, patients, and doctors. Subscribe to support our journalism.
erininthemorning.com
"The Decision Ought To Be Between A Patient And Their Doctor," Says Michigan Senate Candidate El-Sayed On Trans Care
Even conservatives “agree that the decision about healthcare ought to be between a person and their provider,” El-Sayed said.
453847767
Ria Chakrabarty @riachia93.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
This is 9/11 for the DUP
130
Reposted by Ria Chakrabarty
The Paul of the House of Usher @katamaridumassy.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
25 years
cj @futurevictim_ tweet from 1:17 AM • 12 Sep 21

the only lasting 9/11 memory i have is when the budweiser ad with the kneeling clydesdales came on during the super bowl and i said "those horses are praying to mecca" and my friend's uncle got so mad that he had to go in the backyard
43136392803
Ria Chakrabarty @riachia93.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
The number of hate crimes that spiked in the early weeks after 9/11 transformed our communities forever. When politicians say there was a shared bond among all Americans, they are perpetuating the hate that began to fester on 9/12. We don’t get to count among “all Americans.”
153
Reposted by Ria Chakrabarty
southpaw @nycsouthpaw.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
quad panel of Tom from SUCCESSION: 
Why? because she's brought a ludicrously capacious bag.
What's even in there?
Flat shoes for the subway?
Her lunch pail?
Greg, it's monstrous.
Itis gargantuan.
You could take it camping.
You could slide it
across the floor after a bank job.
1567185
Reposted by Ria Chakrabarty
brian nam-sonenstein @bson.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
dear god.. a flavor scientist at the Cheetos factory has published a blog post saying no one is prepared for how "dangerously cheesy" they are
12135392
Reposted by Ria Chakrabarty
Julia Carrie Wong @joolia.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
personally I think we should just take the ai doomers at their word and shut it down if they’re telling the truth, well, good thing we shut it down. If they’re exaggerating, well, they shouldn’t have done that
251908349
Reposted by Ria Chakrabarty
Daniel Larison @daniellarison.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
There are many ways to describe the RSS. "Indian nonprofit" is the most ridiculous whitewash I have ever seen.
Mamdani Denounces an Indian Nonprofit
415226
Ria Chakrabarty @riachia93.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
It really sucks that folks like @bill-drexel.bsky.social keep trying to paint the RSS (a fascist, paramilitary organization) as a nonprofit or a regular civil society organization. The Hudson Institute employs real experts who understand the politics of India. www.wsj.com/opinion/mamd...
wsj.com
Opinion | Mamdani Denounces an Indian Nonprofit
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh—a vast, powerful Hindu volunteer organization—has become the target of a counterproductive Western campaign.
120
Ria Chakrabarty @riachia93.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
BAPS doing what years of anti-Hindutva organizing have not been able to do - get white people angry about the RSS
000
Reposted by Ria Chakrabarty
orithyia blue. @javeauriel.blacksky.app · 07/09/2026
OMG did yall know that man in the White House is changing East Potomac Park (including Hains Point) into a “championship golf course”?! They’ve already started cutting down the trees. And some of the cherry blossom trees that are only found one place on earth, DC.
51759221
Ria Chakrabarty @riachia93.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
They sound like the Hindutva crew talking about the BJP 🫠
000
Reposted by Ria Chakrabarty
Dana El Kurd @danaelkurd.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
By Mairav Zonszein www.nytimes.com/2026/09/06/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | It’s Not Just the West Bank Settlers. It’s Israel. (Gift Article)
Settler violence is reaching new heights.
05418
Ria Chakrabarty @riachia93.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Here’s what political resistance to Hindutva looks like in the US:
011
Ria Chakrabarty @riachia93.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
The problem with non-Indians discovering the RSS via Lander is now they all think they’re experts on South Asia without even the slightest bit of curiosity towards the people living in the subcontinent
130
Reposted by Ria Chakrabarty
Matthew Downhour @matthewdownhour.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
I wrote the core of this in 2024 but I've updated it and posted to not-substack: you don't have to agree with the BDS movement to agree that there should be a right to boycott in liberal society.
apply-liberally.ghost.io
Laws restricting boycotts remove a time-honored tool from civil society
At the height of the Israeli invasion of Gaza, which, despite a ceasefire, continues to claim lives, US college campuses were the sites of some of the most intense organizing in opposition to Israeli ...
15423100
Reposted by Ria Chakrabarty
Hindus for Human Rights Action @hfhraction.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Today, HfHR Action and @sacreddemocracy.bsky.social announced a historic pledge: more than 90 political leaders have disavowed the RSS.
112
Ria Chakrabarty @riachia93.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
IDK if someone describes an event where the headlining speaker is the leader of the RSS as a "private Hindu event," you need to question what their whole deal is.
100
Reposted by Ria Chakrabarty
Texas Observer @texasobserver.org · 29/08/2026
Top story, from @byjustinmiller.bsky.social: Governor Abbott's tax plan would be an extremely heavy lift, even for a Texas Legislature that is increasingly under his thumb. It would also require the so-called Texas Miracle—unregulated, uninhibited economic growth—to stay white-hot for eternity.
texasobserver.org
A Texas Austerity Crisis Is Playing Out City by City, School by School
Texas' local governments are facing growing fiscal pain. What’s that mean for the 2026 elections—and the 2027 session?
12610
Reposted by Ria Chakrabarty
Shiv Ramdas Mens Rice Activist @nameshiv.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
fun fact: the BJP is currently so unpopular in India that people are celebrating this
530945
Reposted by Ria Chakrabarty
Jack Jenkins @jackjenkins.me · 27/08/2026
Commentary aside, a note: As @fiona-ndre.bsky.social reported, *interfaith* groups have been among those who have protested this event. One such protest/press conference was organized by Hindus for Human Rights. Among the speakers there: Brad Lander, who is Jewish. religionnews.com/2026/08/25/f...
religionnews.com
'No Room for Bhagwat': Interfaith group blasts Hindutva leader's upcoming MSG speech
(RNS) — 'There is no room for Mohan Bhagwat and RSS hatred in our city,' said Brad Lander, Democratic nominee for Congress, of Bhagwat’s speaking engagement at Madison Square Garden.
0249
Ria Chakrabarty @riachia93.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
This is a trick by Hindu nationalist groups to try to convince unsuspecting Westerners that somehow a fascist group is the representative of Hindus.
180
Reposted by Ria Chakrabarty
Zack Beauchamp @zackbeauchamp.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Even if you grant the absurd premise about Jews and Italians, this only makes sense if you know *nothing* about India or its politics. Mamdani is criticizing a leader of the RSS. It's a violent Hindu nationalist group, one of whose devotees literally killed Gandhi.
571994350
Reposted by Ria Chakrabarty
Alex Ip 葉清霖 @alexip718.com · 25/08/2026
Venkata Vasamsetty is a special education teacher who entered the U.S. legally in 1999 and obtained her green card in 2013. She is detained by ICE and faces deportation for "violating residency conditions" because she caught COVID during a trip to India and couldn't return within a six-month period
ajc.com
‘Nightmare doesn’t end’: Indian grandmother faces deportation despite green card
Venkata Vasamsetty’s case shows how immigrants with years of lawful status can become subject to detention and deportation.
7311186
Reposted by Ria Chakrabarty
Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
"Muslims right now are the canaries in the coalmine... the white supremacists in charge of this country, they're coming for everyone, just us first." Me to Jacob Soboroff on MSNBC, at the weekend, on the GOP's racist attacks on @abdulelsayed.bsky.social and other Muslims in public life.
331008267
Reposted by Ria Chakrabarty
Indivisible ❌👑 @indivisible.org · 18/08/2026
It’s Election Day in CA-14! Following the lead of our local organizers, we’ve endorsed Dr. Aisha Wahab in today’s special election. In the CA State Legislature, Dr. Wahab has delivered real results for her constituents, from capping the cost of copays for insulin to pushing for affordable housing.
INDIVISIBLE NATIONAL
ENDORSES
AISHA WAHAB
US CONGRESS, CA-14
417755
Ria Chakrabarty @riachia93.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Right wing losers weaponizing the Bangladesh genocide for their own Islamophobia is so stupid, especially given that all the actual survivors I know of the genocide are actively fighting for secularism in their communities
020
Reposted by Ria Chakrabarty
Felipe De La Hoz @felipedlh.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Biden was second only really to Trump in terms of border restrictionist policy. The right, even the ostensibly reasonable, centrist right, treats refusal to acknowledge this basic reality as a necessary article of faith
212129
Reposted by Ria Chakrabarty
Brian Finucane @bcfinucane.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
"The absence of visible raids aggressively targeting Haitians across the country since the department effectively ended the protections on July 27 has frustrated some of President Trump’s most fervent supporters." Lusting for performative ethnic cleansing. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/08/u...
nytimes.com
Trump Officials Under Pressure to Deport Haitians After Supreme Court Win on T.P.S. Program
The lack of visible raids aggressively targeting Haitians who lost temporary status has frustrated some of President Trump’s most fervent supporters.
912751
Reposted by Ria Chakrabarty
Max Berger @maxberger.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
It’s insane that Trump’s personal attorney is actively helping him supress evidence of child sex abuse—and a majority of U.S. Senators are considering making him the Attorney General.
617547
Ria Chakrabarty @riachia93.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Forgot to do my July update, but here we are!
021
Reposted by Ria Chakrabarty
Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
“The same energy that enabled us to be a success as a media entity has enabled a lot of political candidates to be successes.” I spoke to Reuters about how independent progressive media platforms like Zeteo have played a crucial role in these primaries:
reuters.com
How the new generation of left-wing US media is powering progressive candidates
Progressive candidates continue to rack up wins in primary elections, propelled by a new left-wing media ecosystem allowing them to build a national profile on their own terms -- and sidestep the trad...
13750136
Reposted by Ria Chakrabarty
Senator Chris Van Hollen @vanhollen.senate.gov · 06/08/2026
Today, the Senate received a briefing on the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Sudan. Here's the bottom line: We can & must do more to stop this. This war has already killed over 150,000 people & displaced over 14 MILLION. We must act NOW.
16433152
Ria Chakrabarty @riachia93.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
So rewarding to see explicitly Hindutva-aligned candidates fall one after the other. We've been saying, for years, that people like Shri Thanedar, Raja Krishnamoorthi, and Rakhi Israni don't represent the community. And this election, now that we have @hfhr.bsky.social, we actually proved this true
140
Reposted by Ria Chakrabarty
Brad Lander @bradlander.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Major congratulations to @abdulelsayed.bsky.social, @donavanmckinney.bsky.social & @wewill2026.bsky.social for their victories in Michigan. Proud to support them. (1/4)
Congratulations Abdul El-Sayed, Donavan McKinney and Will Lawrence. Big victories in Michigan!
3584110
Reposted by Ria Chakrabarty
Darializa for Congress @darializaforny.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
HUGE congratulations to @donavanmckinney.bsky.social! Michigan showed the country what’s possible when a leader has bold vision, does the work, and brings community along with them. From NY-13 to MI-13, we’re building a Congress for the people who’ve been left out for far too long.
111225
Reposted by Ria Chakrabarty
VoteHub @votehub.com · 05/08/2026
VoteHub projects Abdul El-Sayed to win the Democratic primary for Michigan U.S. Senate.
637063