Who is George Soros and why has BJP linked Adani bribery charges to him and Sonia-Rahul Gandhi?

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been attempting to counter Adani bribery allegations by linking Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi with US billionaire George Soros.

On Monday, Union Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju claimed that Congress veteran Sonia Gandhi’s alleged connection with George Soros is a “serious” concern, urging all political parties, including the Congress, to unite against “anti-India forces”.

A day before, the saffron party alleged that Sonia Gandhi had links to an organisation financed by the George Soros Foundation, which has ‘backed’ the idea of Kashmir as an ‘independent nation.

In a series of posts on X, the official handle of the saffron party said that Sonia Gandhi, as the Co-President of the Forum of the Democratic Leaders in the Asia Pacific (FDL-AP) Foundation, is linked to an organisation financed by the George Soros Foundation.

“Notably, the FDL-AP Foundation has expressed their views that treat Kashmir as a separate entity. This association between Sonia Gandhi and an organisation that has backed the idea of Kashmir as an independent nation expresses the influence of foreign entities on India’s internal affairs and the political impact of such connections,” reads the post by the BJP.

The fresh allegations against Sonia Gandhi come after the BJP and its leaders have been continuously targeting Rahul Gandhi for his alleged links with George Soros.

The Congress party has been protesting against the Adani Bribery charges inside and outside Parliament during the ongoing Winter Session. Last month, Gautam Adani, one of the world’s richest men, and seven others were indicted for fraud by US prosecutors over their alleged roles in a $265 million schemeAdani GroupLondon School of Economics and also obtained a Master of Science in Philosophy in 1954. 

Soros launched his hedge fund in 1973 and became known for his successful currency trades, particularly his bet against the British pound in 1992. Considered one of the pioneers of the modern hedge fund industry, Soros has donated to causes such as human rights, health and education, according to media reports. 

Soros has a net worth of $6.5 billion as of December 5, 2024, according to Bloomberg, He created the Open Society Foundations, a network of foundations, partners, and projects now in over 100 countries. 

What is the India Connection?

Open Society began working in India in 1999, initially offering scholarships and fellowships to students. Since 2008, Open Society has invested over $90 million in start-up and early funding projects managed by Bangalore-based Aspada Investments.

Since the Adani-Hindenburg controversy in February this year, top BJP leaders have been targeting  SorosRajiv Gandhi Foundation led to a partnership with the George Soros Foundation, ‘displaying the influence of foreign funding on Indian organisations’.

“Rahul Gandhi’s press conference on Adani was live telecast by George Soros-funded OCCRP, which Gandhi used as a source to criticise Adani. It shows nothing but their strong and dangerous relationship and highlights their attempts to derail the Indian economy.

“Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has publicly acknowledged George Soros as an ‘old friend’. It’s something truly noteworthy,” the BJP said.

The BJP’s allegations come after it said on Thursday the US “deep state” colluded with OCCRP – Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project- and Rahul Gandhi to damage India’s image.

What is OCCRP?

Headquartered in Amsterdam, the OCCRP is a global network of investigative journalists with staff on six continents. “Founded by veteran investigative reporters Drew Sullivan and Paul Radu in 2007, OCCRP began in Eastern Europe with a handful of partners and has grown into a major force in collaborative investigative journalism, upholding the highest standards for public interest reporting,” reads the OCCRP website.

An OCCRP report in August 2023 alleged that Gautam Adani’s family had invested millions of dollars in its companies via “opaque” Mauritius funds. The Adani Group rubbished the claims and called them a mere ‘rehash of allegations made by Hindenburg’ in January 2023.

Ever since the Adani-Hindenburg controversy, top BJP leaders have been targeting George Soros. Ninety-two-year-old Soros had said the conglomerate’s troubles would “significantly weaken Modi’s stranglehold on India’s federal government.” The BJP countered by saying that Soros wanted to “destroy” Indian democracy and wanted some “hand-picked” people to run the government.

US rejects BJP’s claims

On December 7, the US rejected BJP’s allegations that organisations funded by its State Department and elements in the American “deep state” were behind attempts to destabilise India through targeted attacks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and businessman Gautam Adani. A spokesperson at the US embassy described the allegations as “disappointing” and said the US government has been a champion of media freedom around the world.

“Yesterday I read the statement of the US embassy officials again and again. They admitted that the US government funds OCCRP and Soros’ foundation also funds it,” said BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, who has been at the forefront of linking Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders with Soros.

Sonia Gandhi Birthday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished Congress leader Sonia Gandhi on her birthday on December 9. “Greetings to Smt. Sonia Gandhi Ji on her birthday. I pray for her long life and good health,” Modi said in a post on X.