Houston, September 26, 2025
In a dramatic outburst from his Houston base, controversial televangelist and self-proclaimed international peacemaker Dr. K.A. Paul has accused the Indian Consulate General in the U.S. of deliberately stonewalling his Indian passport renewal, branding it as "torture" orchestrated in retaliation for his recent revelations about External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar's alleged covert diplomatic maneuvers. The 61-year-old Andhra Pradesh-born cleric, who founded the Global Peace Initiative and heads the niche Praja Shanti Party, took to X (formerly Twitter) Friday morning with a video post claiming the denial has left him "stranded" and questioning the Modi government's tolerance for dissent. As the clip garnered over 900 views within hours, it has reignited scrutiny on Paul's checkered history of political meddling and his penchant for high-stakes accusations against Indian authorities.
The video, timestamped at 7:26 a.m. CDT, shows Paul—dressed in a crisp white shirt against a backdrop of American flags and biblical texts—gesticulating emphatically as he declares, "Dr. K.A. Paul from Houston, USA, exposing Foreign Minister Jaya Shankar's mission. Passport is denied for Dr. K.A. Paul. Total shock. Why? Share." In the nearly four-minute clip, Paul elaborates on what he dubs Jaishankar's "shadow diplomacy," alleging the minister is pursuing undisclosed alliances with Middle Eastern powers to counterbalance U.S. influence in the Indo-Pacific. "They don't want me traveling back to India because I know too much about these backroom deals," Paul claims, without providing specifics. He tags major Indian media outlets like ANI, PTI News, TV9 Telugu, NDTV Telugu, and The Times of India, urging them to amplify his grievance.
This is not Paul's first rodeo with passport woes or explosive claims. A follow-up post at 6:33 a.m. CDT reiterated the same message, amplifying its reach to 34 likes and five reposts. The Telugu news portal ABP Live reported the story in the native language just hours later, headlining it as "KA Paul Passport Problems: No New Passport Amid Renewal Torment." According to the article, Paul—whose legal name is Kilari Anand Paul—has been attempting to renew his Indian passport since early September, citing expired validity amid his U.S. residency. Sources close to the matter, speaking anonymously, confirmed to ABP that consulate officials in Houston have cited "pending verifications" related to Paul's prior legal entanglements in India, including a 2019 defamation suit filed by the YSR Congress Party over his criticisms of then-Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy.
The Backdrop: Paul's Long Feud with Indian Establishment
Dr. K.A. Paul, who rose to fame in the 2000s through satellite TV evangelism reaching millions across Asia and Africa, has long blurred the lines between pulpit and politics. Exiled in the U.S. since 2005 after a fallout with Indian authorities over alleged foreign funding violations for his NGOs, Paul has positioned himself as a whistleblower on global issues, from Sri Lankan civil war ceasefires to U.S.-India nuclear deals. His Praja Shanti Party, floated in 2011, contested Andhra Pradesh elections on anti-corruption planks but fizzled out amid funding scandals.
Paul's latest salvo against Jaishankar appears rooted in a broader narrative he's been peddling on his YouTube channel and X feed since August. In a series of videos titled "Exposing India's Hidden Agendas," he accuses the External Affairs Minister—often misspelled by Paul as "Jaya Shankar"—of engineering "secret missions" to broker oil deals with Saudi Arabia and the UAE, bypassing parliamentary oversight to fund domestic surveillance programs. "Jaishankar is playing both sides—America's ally by day, shadow broker by night," Paul alleged in a September 15 upload viewed 50,000 times. While light on evidence, these claims echo fringe conspiracy theories circulating in Telugu diaspora circles, amplified by Paul's 150,000-plus X followers.
The passport denial, Paul insists, is direct payback. "I've applied three times at the Houston consulate. They say documents are incomplete, but it's all there. This is Modi's way of silencing critics abroad," he told ABP Live via phone, his voice laced with feigned sobs. Indian passport renewal for Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) cardholders like Paul requires police clearance and tax compliance affidavits, processes Paul claims he's fulfilled. However, a 2023 MEA advisory flagged "high-risk" applicants with histories of political activism for enhanced scrutiny, a category Paul squarely fits.
Consulate's Silence, MEA's Standard Line
The Indian Consulate General in Houston, which handles over 40,000 passport services annually for the southwestern U.S. diaspora, has not commented on Paul's case, citing privacy protocols under the Passport Act, 1967. A spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi, when queried by xAI News Desk, reiterated that "all applications are processed on merit, with delays possible due to verification needs." Jaishankar's office dismissed the "mission exposure" as "baseless fabrications from a known provocateur," pointing to Paul's 2014 U.S. visa revocation over anti-India lobbying.
Legal experts in India view the episode through a diplomatic lens. "Passport denials for NRIs aren't uncommon when national security flags are raised," said constitutional lawyer Sanjay Hegde. "Paul's history— from advising Ugandan President Museveni to intervening in Telangana polls remotely—makes him a red flag." Paul's U.S. green card status shields him from deportation, but without a valid Indian passport, he cannot visit family in Hyderabad or pursue business interests in Bengaluru's tech corridor.
Ripples in Diaspora: Shock, Skepticism, and Support
The news has stunned Paul's loyalists in the U.S. Telugu community, with hashtags like #JusticeForKAPaul and #FreeDrPaul trending locally on X. "Total shock—Dr. Paul speaks truth to power, and this is how India repays a son?" tweeted Houston-based pastor Samuel Raj, who organized a prayer vigil outside the consulate Friday afternoon. Supporters, numbering in the hundreds, circulated petitions demanding MEA intervention, framing it as an assault on free speech.
Skeptics, however, abound. On Reddit's r/IndiaSpeaks, users mocked Paul's dramatics: "From predicting Y2K apocalypses to Jaishankar conspiracies—this man's schtick is older than his passport." Political analyst Amit Malviya of the BJP IT Cell retweeted Paul's video with a single emoji: 🤡. Paul's detractors highlight his 2022 FEC fine for undeclared campaign donations to U.S. Republicans, questioning his moral high ground.
Broader implications loom for India-U.S. ties, already strained by H-1B visa rows and Khalistani activism. With Jaishankar slated for a Washington visit next month, Paul's saga could fuel awkward questions in diaspora town halls. As one anonymous MEA official quipped to The Hindu, "Paul's 'exposés' are about as credible as his weather prophecies—entertaining, but not policy-shaping."
For now, Paul remains holed up in his Houston suburb, vowing to escalate to the U.S. State Department. "If India won't give me my rights, America will hear the truth," he posted in a follow-up. In a nation where passports symbolize mobility and memory, Dr. K.A. Paul's grounded status serves as a stark reminder: for some exiles, the journey home is forever deferred. As the video loops on social feeds, one question echoes—retaliation or routine bureaucracy? Only time, and perhaps a court filing, will tell.
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