Nithyananda's fake country Kailasa cons 30 US cities with sister-city scam: Report
Self-proclaimed godman and fugitive Nithyananda’s United States of Kailasa has signed a cultural partnership with over 30 American cities, a media report has said.
This revelation comes days after the city of Newark in the US state of New Jersey said it rescinded a sister-city agreement with the fictional country. The sister-city agreement between Newark and the fake United States of Kailasa was inked on January 12 this year and the signing ceremony took place at City Hall in Newark.
Nityananda, whose mind-bending spiritual homilies wrapped in a sheen of pseudo-science has provided much mirth on social media, claims to have set up a country called the “United States of Kailasa” in 2019. According to its website, there are over 30 American cities that have signed a cultural partnership with the fake nation of Kailasa — cities from Richmond, Virginia to Dayton, Ohio, to Buena Park, Florida literally all over the map.
Also read: Nithyananda’s United States of Kailasa: All you need to know
‘Most of cities confirm deal’
A report in Fox News on Thursday said that “we are finding out the supreme fake pontiff has a long list of cities that he has duped”. It said that it reached out to some of the cities in the US for a reaction on signing an agreement with the fake nation. “And so far most of the cities have confirmed these proclamations are in fact true,” the report said.
Jacksonville, North Carolina, told Fox News: “Our proclamations with Kailasa are not an endorsement. They are a response to a request and we do not verify the information that is requested.” Fox News blamed the cities for not googling for information about the fake nation. “If someone wants a proclamation, someone gets a proclamation. They’ll just say you’re an exotic Hindu Island and they’ll name a street after you,” the Fox News anchor said.
The report added that it’s not just mayors or city councils but “people running the federal government who are falling for the fake nation too”. It added that according to the fake guru, two members of the Congress have given Kailasa special Congressional recognition. One of them is Congresswoman Norma Torres of California, who is on the House Appropriations Committee. “So, the person who decides what we spend our tax dollars on just got duped by an alleged rapist guru with a fake country,” the Fox News anchor said. Republican Troy Balderson from Ohio also presented his divine holiness and pontiff of Hinduism Congressional recognition.
Also read: ‘Kailasa holds India in high regard,’ clarifies Nithyananda’s ‘UN envoy’
Embarrassing, say Newark residents
Earlier this month, Press Secretary in the Department of Communications, City of Newark, Susan Garofalo, had told PTI in an email that as soon as “we learned about the circumstances surrounding Kailasa, the City of Newark immediately took action and rescinded the sister city agreement” on January 18.
Based on deception, the ceremony was groundless and void. Although this was a regrettable incident, the City of Newark remains committed to partnering with people from diverse cultures in order to enrich each other with connectivity, support, and mutual respect, Garofalo said.
Newark Councilman at Large Luis Quintana sponsored the motion to rescind the agreement. He said, “We cannot bring Sister Cities International into an issue where there is controversy. This is an oversight, cannot happen any longer. Newark cannot put itself in a situation where there is a sister city that has no human rights.”
The Fox News report quoted a Newark resident saying that the sister-city agreement with a fake nation was an embarrassing episode for the city. “I think that’s embarrassing that he didn’t do his background research before entertaining them.”
Also read: UN dismisses Nithyananda’s “Kailasa” submissions at Geneva meetings
Kailasa reps attended UN meetings
Last month, United States of Kailasa representatives attended two UN public meetings in Geneva. Responding to questions on the United States of Kailasa’s participation at the UN forums, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) had said registration for such public events is open to NGOs and the general public. “Anyone can submit information to the treaty bodies, who will use their judgment to determine the credibility of the submissions received.”
On the day of the CEDAW general discussion, Kailasa members were prevented from distributing promotional material in front of and inside the conference room. Their written submission to CEDAW will not be published by the Committee as it is irrelevant to the topic of the general discussion, OHCHR had said.
(With Agency inputs)
