Union Minister Smriti Irani launched a sharp attack on the Congress after the Karnataka Police lodged an FIR against the BJP’s IT cell chief Amit Malviya over a video posted by him with certain references against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Terming the police action as “suppression of truth”, the BJP demanded to know from the Congress whether it was true that Mr. Gandhi was “hobnobbing” with those associated with businessman-philanthropist George Soros.
Ms. Irani on Wednesday accused Mr. Gandhi of having links with Mr. Soros and meeting people that are funded by the American businessman. “The question that has been left unanswered by the Congress is this: Is it true that Rahul Gandhi met Sunita Viswanath during his trip to the U.S.?... When it is clear to every Indian what George Soros intends to do, why is Rahul Gandhi hobnobbing with those who are funded by Soros,” asked Ms. Irani at a press conference held at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi.
Ms. Viswanath is an Indian-American activist who has worked in women’s and human rights organisations. She co-founded the human rights organisations Women for Afghan Women and Hindus for Human Rights.
This is not the first time that the BJP took on Mr. Soros accusing him of having “ill intention to intervene in the democratic process of India” and wanting “a government pliable to his [Mr. Soros’s] needs.” Earlier this year, Mr. Soros had said that the turmoil in Gautam Adani’s business empire had shaken the faith in India and threatened investor confidence and that it could open “the door to a democratic revival” in the country.
Also Read | George Soros | The billionaire philanthropist India has called ‘opinionated and dangerous’
“It is also evident that this is not the only Soros connection. Even during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Karnataka, the global vice-president of the Open Society Foundation, funded by George Soros, was found accompanying Rahul Gandhi. What is extremely distressing is the link with the Islamic Circle of North America. Those in the public domain who will research how the registration process for NRI interaction with Rahul Gandhi in New York ensued will find contact of Tanzeem Ansari - he has an organisational link with Jamaat-e-Islami,” said Ms. Irani on Wednesday. She also referred to a resolution passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in February 2018 against “theocratic organisations of South Asia” to bolster her point.
“It is expected that the Congress party given its draconian past will leverage any instrument available to it, to stifle those who voice an opinion against the Gandhi family. The ‘Sorosian West’ looks at [Rahul] Gandhi as a pawn to not just checkmate Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi but also India. To file an FIR, just because truth was spoken, freshens the memories of Emergency and how Gandhi family will go to any extent to suppress the truth,” she said.
The FIR was filed on a complaint by Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee member Ramesh Babu over a tweet by Mr. Malviya of a video with captions “Rahul Gandhi is dangerous and playing an insidious game” and “More dangerous are people who are pulling strings of #Raga like Sam P, staunchly anti-India, they leave no stone unturned to defame India overseas, just to embarrass Hon’ble PM @Narendramodi ji”. Mr. Malviya has been booked under sections 153(A), 120(B), 505(2) and 34 of the IPC which pertain to promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, and ‘doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony’ and conspiracy.
