Indian-American strategist Ashley Tellis has been arrested by the FBI on charges of illegally possessing national defense information. There has been a political debate on this in India. BJP called him anti-India, while some considered it an act of revenge.
Washington: There is a huge political uproar in India over the arrest of Indian-American geo-political strategist Ashley Tellis by the FBI in America. While some say he has worked with both the UPA and NDA governments, the BJP is accusing him of being part of anti-India forces and a favorite of the opposition. Ashley Tellis, 64, born and educated in Mumbai, was arrested over the weekend. Charges were framed against him on Monday. Tellis is often seen as a critic because of his writings and views on India.
Ashley Tellis accused of leaking national defense information
The US Justice Department has stated that Tellis had illegally retained national defense information. It is suspected that he obtained classified documents from the State Department and the Defense Department (now the War Department) and made copies of them and took them with him. The Justice Department also clarified that more than a thousand pages of highly confidential documents have been recovered from his home in Vienna, Virginia. The FBI affidavit reveals that the FBI had been monitoring his movements for months, perhaps years. It also mentions his meetings with Chinese government officials.
Deep State’s assets, demand for investigation in India
Economist Sanjeev Sanyal, a member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council (PMEAC), wrote on Twitter, “Whatever the FBI finds, we Indians must make it clear that Tellis was not a scholar but the property of a ‘deep state’. The investigation now should be whether it was for the US ‘deep state’ or for the ‘deep state’ of China.” Ashley Tellis has previously worked with both the Republican and Democrat parties and the George Bush administration on issues such as the India-US civil nuclear deal.
Political controversy regarding Ashley Tellis
However, in recent times, Tellis’s views were against the Indian government. His article ‘India’s Great-Power Delusion’ written in ‘Foreign Affairs’ magazine in August 2025 and his article ‘America’s Bad Bet on India’ (America’s bad bet on India) in May 2023 are examples of this. In these articles he had argued that India would never support America against China.
Many considered Tellis a ‘favourite of the left-liberal lobby’. BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya said, “This explains why Ashley Tellis, who is often quoted and celebrated by the opposition in India, was so vocal against the Modi government.” He further said, “The forces working against India are coming to the fore in a way that no one could have imagined.”
Is this an act of revenge by the Trump administration?
But, some experts have expressed suspicion that Tellis’s arrest could also be an act of revenge by the Trump administration. Former diplomat and strategic affairs expert K.C. Singh said, “Ashley, of Indian origin, is an excellent analyst of diplomacy and defense. I was shocked to read about the arrest. Is this revenge for past criticism of the current rulers or something else? In today’s America, it could be both.” There has been a demand for investigation into the activities of Teles in India also.