Hiring of lobbying firms in US not a new practice: MEA

New Delhi, May 22 (PTI) Indian governments have been hiring lobbying firms in the US for several decades and it is "not a new practice", the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday.

In response to a query during his weekly media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the practice has been in place since the 1950s.

Asked about reports suggesting that New Delhi has 'hired' a lobbying firm in Washington, DC, Jaiswal said, "This is not a new practice. This has been in place for several decades now, and has been the practice under successive governments, since the 1950s." The first lobbying firm was hired in Washington, DC, in 1949, Jaiswal said, without elaborating.

"These firms have been regularly engaged by the Indian Embassy as per the situation or as per the requirement that arises," the MEA spokesperson said.

He said information on all such engagements are available in the public domain.

"In fact, in the run up to the nuclear deal of 2007, we had similarly engaged firms to strengthen India's case in the US. I should also add that such a practice is common among embassies and other organisations in Washington, DC, and in other parts of the US," he said.

Jaiswal also shared the names of lobbying firms hired by successive governments from 1949.

"All these information are available on the US Department of Justice website ... it is available in public domain," he added. PTI KND RUK RUK