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Centre, Congress slam George Soros in unison over ‘revival of democracy’ remark
Union minister Smriti Irani hit out at George Soros accusing him of seeking to demonise India’s democracy and bring an onslaught on the country’s economy for his personal gains
A day after US billionaire-philanthropist George Soros talked about a ‘democratic revival in India’ in the wake of the Hindenburg Research report, accusing the Adani Group of stock manipulation, the country’s ruling dispensation and the main opposition party, in a rare instance of unanimity, sought to denounce the intention of the 92-year-old, and spoke in defence of the nation’s electoral process.
Union minister Smriti Irani on Friday hit out at Soros accusing him of seeking to demonise India’s democracy and bring an onslaught on the country’s economy for his personal gains. Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh too slammed his comments, saying the party’s Nehruvian legacy ensured that people like Soros could not determine India’s electoral outcomes.
Addressing the Munich Security Conference on Thursday, Soros claimed the Hindenburg Research report accusing the Adani Group of stock manipulation and other charges would harm Prime Minister Narendra Modi politically. “Modi and business tycoon Adani are close allies and their fate is intertwined... Modi is silent on the subject, but he will have to answer questions from foreign investors and in parliament,” he claimed, adding, “I may be naive, but I expect a democratic revival in India.”
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Smriti Irani said, “The man who broke the Bank of England and is designated by a nation as an economic war criminal has now expressed his desire to break the Indian democracy. As you know George Soros an international entrepreneur who hedges bets against many countries has now declared his ill intentions to intervene in the democratic processes of India.”
“George Soros wants a government which is pliable to his needs and it is more than evident from his statements that he has pronounced funding of over $1 Bn particularly to target leaders like PM Modi is significant,” she said.
“Today as a citizen I call upon every individual and organization to denounce the intention of this individual (Soros) who seeks to demonize our democracy, weaken our democratic interests and bring an onslaught to the economy of India, all so that he can personally gain,” Irani said.
“Those who Mr. Soros finds the pliable need to know that India has defeated imperialistic designs before and shall do so again, those who support Mr. Soros need to know that democracy has prevailed in India and will continue to do so,” she added.
Congress general secretary in-charge of communication, Jairam Ramesh in a tweet said, “Whether the PM-linked Adani scam sparks a democratic revival in India depends entirely on the Congress, Opposition parties & our electoral process. It has NOTHING to do with George Soros.”
US short-seller Hindenburg released a report on January 24 claiming “brazen accounting fraud” and “stock manipulation” by the Gautam Adani-led group. The conglomerate rejected the report as “unresearched” and “maliciously mischievous”, but it triggered a massive rout of Adani Group stocks. The Opposition parties, including the Congress, have targeted the Centre and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue both inside and outside the Parliament.
