Montana’s India Trade Mission Sparks MAGA Backlash

Montana Governor Greg Gianforte has arrived in India with a delegation of more than 30 people to promote trade and other ties. The visit, which runs through October 9 and continues to Sri Lanka, includes representatives from agriculture, education, critical minerals, manufacturing, photonics, quantum technology and bioscience. The central commercial aim is to expand Indian purchases of Montana pulses: Montana is the largest US producer of lentils and chickpeas, while India is the world’s largest consumer and importer of pulses. In 2025, India bought about $14 million of Montana peas, lentils and chickpeas, largely for animal feed, making India Montana’s 29th-largest trading partner. The article argues that this trade mission exposes a political contradiction within the Republican Party. Montana’s farmers and universities need markets, investment and international talent, but MAGA activists increasingly criticize governors for pursuing economic links abroad—particularly with India. Critics have questioned Indian-origin academics’ roles at Montana State University and attacked Gianforte online, even as Montana seeks to sell agricultural products to India. The author presents this as an example of the tension between economic pragmatism and anti-immigration, “buy American” rhetoric. A similar conflict is emerging in Texas. Governor Greg Abbott courts Indian-American businesses and voters while supporting restrictions on H-1B visas, including a January order freezing new petitions by Texas agencies and universities. Gianforte faces a related challenge: Montana cannot prosper by relying only on local customers or limiting its universities and technology sectors to people born within state borders. The article closes by invoking former Montana senator and US ambassador to Japan Mike Mansfield, who supported stronger ties with India and understood that a small state could think internationally. Gianforte’s effort to sell Montana pulses is more modest, the author says, but it reflects the same principle: Montana should not let narrow politics constrain its global ambitions.

The article reports a social-media backlash surrounding Montana Governor Greg Gianforte’s official visit to India for trade talks. As Gianforte faced criticism online, a pro-MAGA account singled out Indian academics working at Montana State University, presenting their Indian educational backgrounds as though they were an embarrassing discovery. The post highlighted four faculty members: mechanical/industrial engineering department head Dilpreet Singh Bajwa, a Punjab Agricultural University graduate who also earned his master’s and doctorate at the University of Illinois; College of Agriculture Dean Sreekala Bajwa, a Kerala Agricultural University graduate who earned a master’s at IIT Kharagpur and a doctorate at Illinois; Professor Shivali Banerjee, an IIT Bombay graduate; and Professor Amalesh Jana, who attended IIT Guwahati and Jadavpur University and completed his PhD at Oregon State University. Rather than damaging the academics’ reputations, the post prompted users to criticize its apparent ignorance of the standing and selectivity of Indian institutions, particularly the Indian Institutes of Technology. Commenters asked how graduating from IIT Bombay could be an insult and described the academics as highly accomplished. One claimed admission to IIT Bombay is harder than admission to Harvard or MIT, while another used the example of a wealthy IIT Bombay alumnus in Silicon Valley to challenge the racism behind the attack. The article frames the episode as a “Montana meltdown” and portrays the MAGA account’s attempt at an exposé as backfiring. Its focus is the online reaction and the academics’ strong educational credentials, rather than the substance of Gianforte’s trade discussions. The tone is critical and somewhat mocking toward the account, while presenting the Indian scholars’ achievements favorably.

The article reports that Montana Governor Greg Gianforte became a target of anti-India comments from MAGA-aligned social media users after publicizing a visit to India and Sri Lanka. Gianforte, a Republican and former technology executive, co-founded Montana-based RightNow Technologies, which Oracle later acquired for more than $1.8 billion. The article links the backlash to the Trump administration’s efforts to restrict the H-1B visa program and concerns about alleged misuse of the program. During the visit, U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gor welcomed Gianforte and his delegation to New Delhi. Gor said they discussed opportunities for Montana businesses to increase exports and investment and develop commercial ties with India. Gianforte said the delegation was working to strengthen U.S.-India relations, expand market access for agricultural producers, develop university partnerships, and explore opportunities in bioscience and technology. Those references prompted hostile reactions online. Critics claimed technology and university partnerships would bring more foreign workers and students to Montana, and some called for Gianforte’s impeachment. Other commenters argued that Montana had little to gain from India, objected to closer ties with the Indian government, or asserted that the state would be changed by the relationship. Several users also questioned whether the visit could help Montana’s pulse producers, saying India had reduced purchases of their products. The article presents these reactions as part of a wider episode of anti-Indian hostility on social media, while describing Gianforte’s trip as an effort to build economic and institutional connections between Montana and India.