Days after the BJP accused the US State Department of trying to “destabilize India”, the US Embassy in New Delhi said it was “disappointing that India’s ruling party would make such allegations”. The comments came in the backdrop of BJP’s allegations that the “US deep state” worked with opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, and the State Department used the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, or OCCRP, as a “media tool”, to undermine it. Narendra Modi Govt.
“The U.S. government works with independent organizations on programming that supports professional development and capacity-building training for journalists. This program does not affect the editorial decisions or direction of these organizations,” a U.S. Embassy spokesperson said.
“The United States has long been a champion of media freedom around the world. A free and independent press is an essential part of any democracy, enabling informed and constructive debate and holding those in power accountable,” the spokesperson said.
A few days ago, the BJP had claimed that the US “deep state” was working to “target Prime Minister Narendra Modi”.
At a press conference, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said, “The US State Department has always been behind this agenda.”
Patra claimed that elements of the US deep state had colluded with a group of journalists and India’s opposition leader Rahul Gandhi to push India’s development narrative using baseless allegations and malicious reports without “a shred of evidence”. . He suggested at a press conference that it was all in conjunction with the “US State Department.”
The BJP also criticized Rahul Gandhi for using reports by the OCCRP that were “single-mindedly focused” on the government’s alleged closeness to the Adani group and undermining Prime Minister Modi.
The BJP spokesperson then cited French media reports that the OCCRP was funded by the US Agency for International Development and “other deep state figures” such as US billionaire investor George Soros. “The deep state had a clear objective to destabilize India by targeting Prime Minister Modi,” the BJP said.
“Behind this agenda has always been the US State Department… OCCRP has served as a media tool to serve a deep state agenda,” it said.
“A French investigative media group has revealed that 50% of OCCRP’s funding comes directly from the US State Department,” Patra said.
A BJP spokesperson then accused Gandhi of being a “traitor of the highest order”. He also said that “certain US agencies” and billionaire George Soros have formed a “dangerous triangle trying to destabilize India”.
Echoes in Parliament
Patra’s allegations were repeated in Parliament by his party colleague Nishikant Dubey. Dubey accused the Congress of “conspiring with foreign powers” to derail the government because of its “hatred” for the prime minister.
In the Lok Sabha, he accused the “dangerous triangle” comprising Soros, OCCRP, and the Congress and Gandhi of trying to “derail India’s success story” under Modi.
In the Rajya Sabha, MP Sudhanshu Trivedi raised the issue, BJP leaders said the Congress had blocked Parliament based on various reports published by the OCCRP, Pegasus spy row, developed on the effectiveness of the Kovid-19 vaccine. India, and the Adani Group v. Hindenburg Report.
Dubey said many of these media reports coincided with India’s Parliament session.
He called for a thorough investigation of Gandhi for his meeting with Soros, who he claimed “regularly conspires to derail the economies of other countries” and US lawmakers like Ilhan Omar, who are staunch opponents of Modi and his administration. “Congress should answer…what happened to Rahul Gandhi during his foreign visits to meet those who have a history of pedding an anti-India agenda,” he said.
After Trivedi finished his address, Rajya Sabha Speaker Jagdeep Dhankhar said that he had raised a serious issue and opposition MPs would be allowed to present their views. Although the opposition parliamentarians protested, he said, ‘The biggest democracy should not be allowed to be made inactive by Deep State.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor slammed Dubey and his “insulting statement”. “No. 1, you can’t insult people. No. 2, you can’t name someone without giving them advance notice, and No. 3, you can’t attack parliamentary privilege. He violated all three of those rules and it took him a while to talk and abuse. “Granted… That’s why we opposed it. We went to meet the Speaker, and said we should remove it from the record,” Tharoor said.
OCCRP response
In a statement, OCCRP denied the allegations raised about its funding and the suggestion that “we are influenced by our donors.” OCCRP also said that as a donor-funded organization, it has built safeguards into its editorial process and has always been open about its funding. “All these documents are publicly available,” the statement said.
Last week, the MEA reacted to Gandhi’s recent comments that Modi was losing his memory as the former President of the United States.
Asked to comment on Gandhi’s remarks at a Maharashtra Assembly election rally earlier this month, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “India shares a multilateral partnership with the United States and this partnership has been characterized by years of strength, unity, togetherness, mutual respect and commitment from both sides. We find such comments unfortunate. and they do not follow warm and friendly relations with the United States and do not represent the position of the Government of India.
While Gandhi did not name a former US president, it appeared to be referring to current President Joe Biden, who is set to step down in January.