Disappointing: US rubbishes BJP claim of attempt to destabilise India
The US has rejected BJP’s allegations that organisations funded by the US State Department and elements in the American “deep state” were behind attempts to destabilise India through targeted attacks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and business tycoon Gautam Adani.
A US embassy spokesperson in New Delhi was quoted by news agency PTI as saying that the allegations were “disappointing”. The US administration had been a champion of media freedom around the world, the spokesperson asserted.
The BJP had on December 5 alleged that the US “deep state” colluded with the media portal OCCRP (Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project) and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to “damage” India’s image.
The BJP had cited Gandhi’s use of reports by the OCCRP to attack the Adani Group and accuse it of having closeness with the government. The US embassy spokesperson said: “It’s disappointing that the ruling party in India would make these kinds of accusations.”
“The US government works with independent organisations on programming that supports professional development and capacity building training for journalists. This programming does not influence the editorial decisions or direction of these organisations,” the official said.
The OCCRP, headquartered in Amsterdam, is a media platform that largely focuses on stories relating to crime and corruption. The BJP, in its allegations, had referred to a French media report and said it revealed that the OCCRP was funded by the US State Department’s USAID, along with other “deep state figures” such as George Soros and the Rockefeller Foundation.
The US embassy official said: “The US has long been a champion of media freedom around the world. A free and independent press is an essential component of any democracy, enabling informed and constructive debate and holding those in power accountable.”
Last month, US prosecutors had charged Adani, 62, his nephew Sagar and other defendants for paying over $250 million in bribes between 2020 and 2024 to Indian government officials to win solar energy contracts on terms that could potentially bring in more than $2 billion in profit. Following the charges, the Congress had demanded a thorough investigation into the charges and accused the government of shielding him. The Adani Group has dismissed the charges as “baseless”.
