INDIA:
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused the US State Department and “deep state” elements of attempting to destabilise India, claiming they are working alongside a group of investigative journalists and opposition leader Rahul Gandhi.
This accusation has raised eyebrows, as India and the US have built a strong relationship over the past two decades, with both countries vowing to further strengthen ties despite some ongoing differences.
The BJP’s accusations come in response to the Congress party’s use of reports from the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), which have focused on the Adani Group and its alleged ties to the Indian government.
The BJP claims that these reports are being used by Gandhi to undermine Modi. In particular, OCCRP’s articles have spotlighted allegations that Adani Group chair Gautam Adani and others were involved in a $265 billion scheme to bribe Indian officials—a claim that the Adani Group has strongly denied.
The OCCRP has accused Indian state-sponsored hackers of using Israeli-made Pegasus spyware to target government critics, a charge the Indian government has also denied.
The BJP has previously accused Gandhi, the OCCRP, and 92-year-old billionaire financier George Soros of attacking Modi.
On Thursday, the BJP cited a French media report claiming that OCCRP receives funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and other “deep state” figures, including Soros.
The BJP then accused the U.S. State Department of being behind this alleged effort to destabilize India, stating, “It has always been the U.S. State Department behind this agenda…OCCRP has served as a media tool for carrying out a deep state agenda.”
Sambit Patra, a BJP spokesperson, reiterated these accusations in a media briefing, citing the French report that claimed 50% of OCCRP’s funding comes directly from the US State Department.
The BJP further alleged that OCCRP had served as a vehicle for this “deep state” agenda.
Neither the U.S. State Department, USAID, Soros, nor the Congress party responded to the accusations. The Indian foreign ministry also did not comment on the BJP’s claims against the US State Department.
In response, OCCRP issued a statement asserting that it is an independent media outlet, clarifying that while the US government provides some funding, it has no influence over OCCRP’s editorial processes or reporting.
The accusations come at a time when the Indian government is facing scrutiny over the US indictment of Gautam Adani, which opposition leaders have used to argue that Modi has long protected the billionaire.
Last week, India’s parliament was suspended multiple times as opposition lawmakers demanded a debate on the issue. Both Modi’s BJP and Adani have denied the allegations.
