New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday criticised controversial global financier George Soros for his remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi where he said that the Adani Group row will "significantly weaken Modi’s stranglehold on India’s federal government."
Jaishnankar called Soros "old, rich, opinionated, and dangerous", saying that "such people actually invest resources in shaping narratives."
"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 pretense of advocacy of open society," he added, as quoted by news agency ANI.
"When I look at my own democracy, I've today a voter turnout, which is unprecedented, electoral outcomes which are decisive, an electoral process which is not questioned. We're not one of those countries where after elections, somebody goes to arbitrate in court," the Union Minister stressed.
This response comes after Union Minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani on Friday hit out at Soros saying, "The man who broke the bank of England, a man who is designated as an economic war criminal has now pronounced his desire to break the Indian democracy. George Soros, who hedges bets against many countries has now declared his ill intentions in the democratic processes of India."
"George Soros wants a government that is pliable to his needs for making his nefarious plans successful. It is evident from his statements that he has pronounced funding over one billion dollars particularly to target leaders like PM Modi is significant," she alleged.
Modi Is Silent On Adani Row, It Will Significantly Weaken His Stranglehold On India’s Govt: Soros
In a speech ahead of the Munich Security Conference, George Soros on Thursday spoke about the fallout from US short-seller Hindenburg Research’s attack on the Adani conglomerate.
He said, "Modi and business tycoon Adani are close allies; their fate is intertwined."
“Modi is silent on the subject, but he will have to answer questions from foreign investors and in parliament,” Soros said, as per Bloomberg.
“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,” he was quoted as saying.
As per Financial Times, the billionaire also remarked that PM Modi "is no democrat", alleging that "inciting violence against Muslims was an important factor in his meteoric rise".