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‘Old, rich, and dangerous’: Jaishankar takes on George Soros for remarks on Modi
George Soros, who has a net worth of about $.8.5 billion, is the founder of the Open Society Foundations, which gives grants to groups and individuals that promote democracy, transparency and freedom of speech.
External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Saturday tore into billionaire investor George Soros for his remarks on India's democracy, saying he is "old, rich, opinionated and dangerous." Jaishankar said that people like Soros start questioning the democratic setup when the electoral outcomes are not according to their liking. (Also Read | ‘Did not know Modi govt was so feeble’: Chidambaram on BJP's reaction to Soros)
“Few years ago, he actually accused us of planning to strip millions of Muslims of their citizenship, which of course didn't happen. It was a ridiculous suggestion. But you have to understand what this actually mean. I would take a view that Mr Soros is an old, rich opinionated person sitting in New York who still thinks that his views should determine how the entire world works,” Jaishankar said at an event in Australia.
“Now if I would only stop at old, rich and opinionated, I would put it away. But he is old, rich, opinionated and dangerous. Because what happens is when such people actually invest resources in shaping narratives,” he added.
In his remarks at the Munich Security Conference, George Soros, a supporter of progressive and liberal political causes, said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is silent on the fraud allegations against Adani Group, asserting that he will have to "answer questions from foreign investors and in Parliament."
"This will significantly weaken Modi's stranglehold on India's federal government and open the door to push for much-needed institutional reforms. I may be naive, but I expect a democratic revival in India," the 92-year-old hedge fund manager-turned-philanthropist added.
Reacting to Soros's comment, Jaishankar said, “People like him think an election is good if the person they want to see, wins and if the election throws up a different outcome then they will say it is a flawed democracy and the beauty is that all this is done under the pretence of advocacy of open society.”
On Friday, the Congress said whether the Adani issue will spark a democratic revival in the country depends entirely on the grand old party and other opposition parties, and has nothing to do with Soros.
"Whether the 'PM-linked Adani scam' sparks a democratic revival in India depends entirely on the Congress, Opposition parties and our electoral process. It has nothing to do with George Soros," Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh wrote on Twitter.
"Our Nehruvian legacy ensures people like Soros cannot determine our electoral outcomes," he added.
