Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur intensified his criticism of alleged Chinese financial involvement with the Congress party and Indian news portal NewsClick on Tuesday, directing his remarks towards Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
Thakur conveyed, “I want to state that Congress is linked with ‘NewsClick’, and ‘NewsClick’ has connections with China. Rahul Gandhi should publicly apologize to the nation and clarify how the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation received funds from China and how these funds were utilized.” He addressed reporters prior to attending the BJP Parliamentary Party meeting.
The Union Minister stressed that Rahul Gandhi must apologize in the Parliament, disclosing that China funds NewsClick, and expound on why his party endorsed it. Thakur emphasized the necessity for Rahul Gandhi to reveal the sources of funding and elucidate the rationale behind Congress’s alignment with ‘NewsClick’.
Yesterday, referring to a New York Times report, Thakur during a press conference asserted that China, NewsClick, and the Congress party were connected by an “anti-India umbilical cord.” The US publication had alleged in a Sunday report that Chinese companies were financially supporting the Indian news portal to propagate Beijing’s propaganda.
Thakur alleged that during the UPA regime, China established an agreement with the Congress party, resulting in payments to the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation.
The Minister also alleged that American millionaire Neville Roy Singham, according to The New York Times report, had close ties with the Chinese government’s media mechanism and was financing global Chinese propaganda.
Thakur stated, “Congress, China, and NewsClick are interlinked. Chinese influence is clearly discernible in Rahul Gandhi’s misleading propaganda. His affinity for China is evident. Their agenda was to advance ‘anti-India’ and ‘Break India’ narratives.”
Thakur revealed that when the BJP-led government took action against NewsClick in 2021 for using foreign propaganda against India, the Congress and other opposition parties rallied behind it, alleging that the government was stifling press freedom.
Thakur asserted that although Chinese companies funded NewsClick through Neville Roy Singham, some Indians supported them when actions were taken against the organization. These individuals propagated the Chinese agenda and disseminated misleading information to the Indian public.
Moreover, Thakur claimed that during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the Congress party forged an agreement with China, leading to payments to the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation. He underscored that the agreement was signed by Rahul Gandhi and Xi Jinping.
Thakur further highlighted instances where Rahul Gandhi praised China, including during a meeting with Chinese officials and at a Cambridge event, labeling them as a “force of nature” and an “aspiring superpower.”
In response to these developments, BJP member Nishikant Dubey demanded an Election Commission probe into the “funding of Congress by China.” Dubey’s remarks were met with opposition from Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who subsequently sought the expunction of Dubey’s remarks from the parliamentary records, deeming them “libelous” and “defamatory.”
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