Union Minister Smriti Irani has accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of "hobnobbing with those funded by George Soros", who seeks to 'destabilise' the Indian government, during his US trip. Irani said that Congress has, so far, failed to answer if Rahul Gandhi had indeed met Sunita Vishwanath, an activist often accused of being anti-Hindu. She also said that Rahul Gandhi's trip to New York had been coordinated by Tanzeem Ansari, project director of Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), which has links to the Jamaat-e-Islam — both hardline Islamist organisations.
Irani said, "When it is clear to every Indian what George Soros intends to do, why is Rahul Gandhi hobnobbing with those who are funded by Soros? It is also evident that this is not the only Soros connection. Even in Bharat Jodo Yatra in Karnataka, the Global Vice President of the Open Society Foundation, funded by George Soros, was found accompanying Rahul Gandhi."
"What is extremely distressing is the link with the Islamic Circle of North America," she said, adding that if one ran a public domain search on the registration process for NRI interaction with Rahul Gandhi in New York, s/he will find the contact of Tazeem Ansari."
Irani's attack on Gandhi came after the registration of an FIR against Amit Malviya, the head of the BJP's IT department in Karnataka. The Karnataka police have registered an FIR against Malviya based on a complaint from Ramesh Babu, a member of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee. The FIR accuses Malviya of promoting enmity between groups and instigating people through a video allegedly mocking Rahul Gandhi that he posted on social media.
Irani stated that her party had received information regarding the FIR in response to the BJP's stance on Rahul Gandhi's US visit. She claimed that the Gandhi family had once again demonstrated their willingness to suppress the truth if they obtain power.
Who Is George Soros?
George Soros, a 92-year-old American-Hungarian, is a billionaire investor, philanthropist, short-seller, and political activist. With a net worth of USD 8.5 billion, Soros is renowned for establishing the Open Society Foundations, an organization that provides grants to support democracy, transparency, and freedom of speech initiatives.
Born in Hungary in 1930, Soros hails from a wealthy Jewish family and is recognized as one of the prominent international investors. In response to the prevailing anti-Semitism during that time, his family changed their surname from "Schwartz" to "Soros" to protect their Jewish identity. They endured the horrors of the Holocaust during the Nazi occupation in Hungary before eventually relocating to London in 1947.
In 1970, Soros founded Soros Fund Management, an investment management company that has achieved tremendous success over the years. The firm has consistently generated billions of dollars in profits on a global scale.
Soros and His Criticism Of Modi Govt
Soros has been critical of the Narendra Modi government. In a speech at the Munich Security Conference earlier this year, Soros alleged that the turmoil over Gautam Adani's business empire might weaken PM Modi's hold on the government. He said PM Modi would "have to answer questions" from foreign investors and Parliament
In 2020, George Soros slammed the Modi government while addressing an event at World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, saying nationalism was making headway and the "biggest setback" was seen in India. "The biggest and most frightening setback occurred in India where a democratically elected Narendra Modi is creating a Hindu nationalist state, imposing punitive measures on Kashmir, a semi-autonomous Muslim region, and threatening to deprive millions of Muslims of their citizenship," he had said.