BJP links Rahul Gandhi with George Soros, Congress hits back

In Rajya Sabha, BJP member Sudhanshu Trivedi alleged that there was a concerted effort by “foreign hands” to derail the Viksit Bharat (developed India) agenda.

A political controversy erupted on Thursday after one Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker attempted to link billionaire George Soros with Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and another called him a “traitor”, triggering protests from the Congress.

Opposition MPs raise slogans in the Lok Sabha during the Winter Session of Parliament, in New Delhi on Wednesday. (ANI PHOTO)

The opposition party demanded an apology and forced adjournment in the House after BJP lawmaker Nishikant Dubey sought to know if Gandhi had connections with forces trying to “derail” India’s growth trajectory. In the Rajya Sabha, BJP member Sudhanshu Trivedi alleged that there was a concerted effort by “foreign hands” to derail the Viksit Bharat (developed India) agenda.

In the morning, Congress leaders wore stickers alleging a nexus between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Adani Group inside and outside the House. Gandhi too, put a sticker on his T-shirt saying “Modi, Adani Ek Hain (Modi, Adani are the same)”. An irked Speaker Om Birla reminded the Congress MPs that only the Tricolour can be added to the members’ attire.

Dubey attempted to turn the tables on the Congress. In his Zero Hour intervention, he levelled a slew of allegations saying the Congress was working with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), a global journalism project backed by Soros’s Open Society Foundation, and was trying to disrupt Parliament and derail the government. He also asked 10 questions to Gandhi.

Separately, BJP Lok Sabha MP Sambit Patra alleged that Gandhi was part of a “triangle” with Soros and OCCRP aimed at destabilising India.

“We are going to talk about this dangerous triangle which is trying to destabilise India. In this triangle, on one side is George Soros from America, some agencies of America; on the other side of the triangle is a big news portal named OCCRP... the last and the most important side of the triangle is Rahul Gandhi, a traitor of the highest order. I am not scared to say this word... I don’t have any hesitation to call the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha a traitor,” he said.

The comments sparked a furious response from the Congress, as the party’s lawmakers came down to the well of the House, shouting slogans and demanding an apology from Dubey.

Congress MP Manickam Tagore wrote to Birla, expressing deep concern over Patra allegedly using “slanderous language” against Gandhi and sought stringent action. Tagore alleged that Patra’s conduct was a “clear violation” of the decorum and ethics expected of a member of Parliament.

For the first six days of this session, Parliament was rocked by the controversy kicked up due to a criminal indictment filed by the US Department of Justice (DoJ) and a civil complaint by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York against the Adani Group chairman and seven executives of his vast conglomerate.

The allegation is that the Solar Energy Corp of India entered into an agreement with the Adani Group to buy solar power at a certain price that it would then sell to the states, but that because it had agreed to buy the power at a high rate, no state was willing to sign a Power Sales Agreement (PSA) with it. Adani, the prosecutors allege, incentivised the states to sign the agreement. The Adani Group has already dismissed the charges as baseless.

The Congress has consistently alleged a nexus between the Union government and the Adani Group and disrupted Parliament. On Thursday, the BJP hit back by making counter allegations about Gandhi and Soros.

Dubey led the charge inside and outside the House.

“Was Salil Shetty not in Bharat Jodo Yatra? Is he not an employee of the Soros Foundation? Did they not meet Ilhan Omar, Barbara Lee, or Ro Khanna, who wrote a letter in America asking to boycott the PM and not address him in Parliament? Don’t they want to create Khalistan and divide Kashmir? They meet all the elements in foreign countries who want to break India,” he said outside Parliament.

The Lower House faced three adjournments as angry Congress lawmakers demanded Dubey’s apology. Railways minister Ashwani Kumar could not reply to the debate on the Railways (Amendment) Bill, 2024, amid massive protests by Congress and a few other Opposition leaders.

Om Birla tried to stop Dubey and allowed Congress’s deputy leader Gaurav Gogoi to speak, but he too, could not finish his speech in the din. “Gandhi favours peace but the BJP is spreading untruth. BJP doesn’t want the House to run. The way they have put Manipur on fire, they want to do the same thing in Sambhal,” Gogoi said, referring to recent violence in the UP town that killed four people.

Later, parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rjiju said the Opposition’s behaviour was not acceptable. “They (Opposition) came into Parliament wearing colourful clothes, and outside Parliament, they started a fashion show wearing those colourful clothes. This lowers the dignity of Parliament and I condemn it. Such disruptions will achieve nothing; it won’t fetch votes,” Rijiju said.

He was referring to leaders of several INDIA bloc parties wearing black jackets with stickers reading “Modi Adani Ek Hai” and “Adani Safe Hai”, which was part of the Congress’s strategy for Thursday. The Opposition MPs also staged a protest outside the Makar Dwar, the main entrance to the new Parliament building.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor later said that when Dubey made an “outrageous statement”, he violated at least three clear rules of Parliament.

“You cannot attack people in a defamatory manner. Second, you cannot take anyone’s name without giving them advance notice in writing. Third, you cannot assault the parliamentary privilege of an MP. He violated all three rules and was allowed to continue speaking and ranting for quite some time, which we strongly objected to.”

Tharoor also said that the Congress leaders met the Speaker and insisted that these remarks be expunged from the record and that the person must apologise.

“This is obviously a waste of parliamentary time, our time, and the time of the public and taxpayers. I would ask the BJP, which claims to be a ruling party that wants the House to function: how can they encourage one of their members to make such blatantly violative and shameful statements inside Parliament? It’s truly shocking,” he added.

Congress general secretary KC Venugopal called the incident unfortunate.

“The Congress leaders raised the issue of the travel ban of LoP to Sambhal. The speaker allowed Nishikant Dubey to speak in the Zero Hour. Defamatory words were used against the LoP, Wayanad MP and the entire Congress...In the history of parliament, these kinds of derogatory remarks were never used. We are very pained...From Day 1, Rahul Gandhi stood against Rahul Gandhi’s corruption, since that day the agents of Adani have started abusing Rahul Gandhi...We demand an apology from the member who used this kind of language. The Speaker should take the necessary action...”

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned till noon after Opposition members shouted slogans against Trivedi. Speaking during Zero Hour, Trivedi said since 2021, there have been attempts to derail the national agenda. Citing French publication Mediapart’s report on OCCRP, Trivedi alleged foreign funding, and connections to Soros.

“Ever since India is emerging as a strategic, economic and diplomatic power, it has been seen that in the last three years there have been attempts to attack India’s established systems and interests on economic and social fronts through activities from abroad,” he said.

While Opposition members rose in protest when the BJP lawmaker made a reference to the report against the Adani Group, chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said it was a “serious issue and we cannot allow the largest democracy to be made dysfunctional by the deep state. This House should be united in neutralising any trend or initiative that is dangerous to our sovereignty.”