Who is George Soros and what are BJP's allegations against Sonia Gandhi?

Union minister Kiren Rijiju raised concerns over Sonia Gandhi's alleged links to George Soros, urging unity against “anti-India forces” and no political bias.

The Bharatiya Janata Party's allegations against Congress leader Sonia Gandhi have snowballed into a massive political slugfest. The ruling party has claimed Sonia Gandhi's connections to an organisation funded by the George Soros Foundation, which has ‘backed’ the idea of Kashmir as an ‘independent nation.’

George Soros (L) and Congress leader Sonia Gandhi (R).

Union minister Kiren Rijiju expressed concerns over the alleged links between Sonia Gandhi and businessman George Soros. He said these matters should not be viewed politically and called for unity against “anti-India forces.”

Rijiju said he had no intention of interfering in Congress's internal politics but pointed out that questions regarding Rahul Gandhi's leadership were being raised within the INDIA alliance.

George Soros, the founder of the Open Society Foundation, has been an outspoken critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The BJP has earlier accused him of attempting to influence “India’s democratic process.”

Read: ‘Sonia Gandhi linked to George Soros-funded group supporting Kashmir independence’: BJP

On Friday, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “Congress is hand in glove with George Soros, did Soros pay for Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra or not, Soros paid for 1000 Indian children to study abroad, and how many of them are children of Congress leaders? My series of asking questions to the Congress party will continue.”

This is not the first instance of the BJP linking Soros with the Congress. In 2023, former Union minister Smriti Irani had accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of associating with individuals of questionable credentials, including close associates of Soros, during his visit to the US.

Who is George Soros?

Born in 1930, George Soros is of Jewish descent. He escaped the Nazi occupation of Hungary and moved to the UK in 1947. To fund his studies at the London School of Economics, Soros worked as a railway porter and waiter. 

In 1969, he launched his first hedge fund, Double Eagle. The success of this fund led to the establishment of Soros Fund Management, his second hedge fund, in 1970. Between 1979 and 2011, Soros reportedly contributed over $11 billion to various philanthropic efforts.

Soros founded the Open Society Foundations in 1984, an organisation committed to advancing the values of justice, democracy, and human rights in more than 120 countries. 

It is reported that Soros donated over $11 billion to philanthropic causes during the period from 1979 to 2011.

In January 2023, US-based short seller Hindenburg released a report alleging that Adani Group's chairperson, Gautam Adani, improperly used tax havens and flagged concerns about the company's high debt levels. 

Following this, in February 2023, Soros, while addressing the Munich Security Conference, spoke about the stock selloff of Adani Group companies mentioned in the Hindenburg report. He criticised PM Modi as “no democrat” and said that the Adani “affair” could potentially lead to a resurgence of democracy in India.