BJP MP Sambit Patra on Thursday (December 5) called Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition (LOP) Rahul Gandhi a “traitor of the highest order”, accusing him of conspiring to “destabilize” the country.
Along with Gandhi, Patra named Hungarian-American billionaire philanthropist George Soros and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), a global group of investigative journalists, as a “dangerous triangle”.
In a press conference, the Lok Sabha MP mentioned “Serious” allegations raised by French researcher Newspaper mediapartwhich in a report raised several claims against OCCRP and its funding sources.
What are the charges?
Earlier this week, mediapart The OCCRP called it “a painful but necessary investigation,” accusing it of knowingly hiding its ties to the U.S. government while exposing corruption elsewhere.
According to OCCRP’s website, Soros’s Open Society Foundations is one of its 21 major institutional funders. Other supporters include The Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the US State Department, the Ford Foundation, the German Marshall Fund and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.
In a series of posts on X, the BJP alleged that the OCCRP investigation into the Adani Group, and Brazil’s 2021 report canceling a deal to buy covaccine from India amid corruption allegations, was evidence of foreign interference.
The party claimed that OCCRP enjoys funding from foundations owned by Soros, and “went out of its way to protect Rahul Gandhi”.
But who is George Soros?
George Soros is a Hungarian-American hedge fund manager turned philanthropist. Born to Jewish parents in 1930 in Budapest, Hungary, the family survived the Nazi occupation of their country in 1944-45. He moved to London in 1947 after the communists came to power in Hungary. He studied philosophy at the London School of Economics and graduated with a Master of Science in Philosophy in 1954.
In 1956, he immigrated to America, where he initially began as an analyst of European securities. In 1973, he started his own hedge fund and became known for his successful currency trading, especially his bets against the British pound in 1992. Soros is considered one of the pioneers of the modern hedge fund industry.
He is also involved as a philanthropist, donating to causes such as human rights, education, and public health. He helped nurture America’s medical marijuana movement and, in the early 2000s, became an outspoken supporter of legalizing same-sex marriage.
According to BloombergSoros has a net worth of $6.5 billion as of December 5, 2024. He used this significant financial muscle to create a network of Open Society Foundations, foundations, partners and projects now in over 100 countries. The foundation’s annual budget is more than $1 billion.
And what is Soros’ relationship with India?
Open Society began working in India in 1999, initially offering scholarships and fellowships to students to study and conduct research at Indian institutions. Its Soros Economic Development Fund is also an active social impact investor in India, supporting small farmers and businesses while improving access to healthcare, schooling and financial services. Since 2008, Open Society has invested more than $90 million in start-up and early funding projects managed by Bangalore-based Aspada Investments.
Researched by The Indian Express Highlights the dichotomous position Soros has occupied in public understanding since April 2023. The BJP has repeatedly accused him of being an anti-national force, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar calling him “outdated, ideological and dangerous” in February 2023.
However, India has been a major contributor to UN funding to promote global democracy through civil society organizations, many of which are closely associated with Soros’ work.
And what is OCCRP?
OCCRP is an international network of investigative journalists based in Amsterdam. It is a mission-based nonprofit newsroom that partners with media outlets to publish investigative reports. It was founded in 2007 by veteran investigative journalists Drew Sullivan and Paul Radu, following a previous collaboration between the pair.
Initially funded by the United Nations Endowment for Democracy (UNDEF), the OCCRP network first opened an office in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Over the years, OCCRP has grown from six journalists working in five countries to more than 150 journalists in 30 countries. The idea is to create a global network of journalists with easier communication and information sharing to better understand and expose global networks of corruption and crime.
The group has won numerous honors for its work, including the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Journalism. Panama Papers Research. It was also nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023 by the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
OCCRP was repealed mediapartMonday’s charges. It said the report was “co-authored by a disgruntled former member of our network” and “failed to cite a single instance of inaccuracy or influence in our work and relied on innuendo and implication”. Furthermore, the group said it has built “several safeguards” into its editorial process to ensure its independence, and that it lists its funders in publicly available documents.