Union minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Smriti Irani on Wednesday trained her guns on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his visit to the United States and attending programmes hosted by people with alleged links to billionaire American businessman George Soros.
Addressing a press conference in Delhi today, the Lok Sabha MP from Amethi displayed a photograph showing Rahul Gandhi purportedly attending a meeting during his recent visit to the US. The photograph also showed Sunita Vishwanath, an Indian-American activist who has co-founded human rights organisations including Women for Afghan Women, Sadhana: Coalition of Progressive Hindus and Hindus for Human Rights, in attendance at the meeting alongside Rahul.
The BJP has alleged that the organisations linked to Vishwanath are funded by Soros, who has previously expressed harsh views on India.
“Is it true that Rahul Gandhi met Sunita Vishwanath during his trip to the US? When it is clear to every Indian what George Soros intends to do, why is Rahul Gandhi hobnobbing with those funded by Soros?” Irani asked at the presser held at the BJP headquarters in Delhi.
She further alleged that it wasn’t the first time that Rahul’s alleged links to Soros have come up. “Even during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Karnataka, the global vice-president of the Open Society Foundation, funded by Soros, was found accompanying Rahul Gandhi. What is extremely distressing is the link with the Islamic Circle of North America,” she said, adding that Tazeem Ansari, the contact person for registration for the NRI interaction with Rahul Gandhi in New York, has links with Jamaat-e-Islami.
The remarks by Irani are in line with the BJP’s attacks against the Gandhi scion for allegedly attacking the country in the name of criticising the government. The BJP government has also accused Soros of harbouring “ill-intentions” to intervene in India’s democratic process and wanted a”government pliable to his needs”.