BBC and Adani row: 'George Soros to Rajan to BBC, it's a confluence of interests' Smriti Irani lashes out
2 min read 17 Feb 2023, 01:16 PM ISTUnion Minister Smriti Irani launched a frontal attack on Soros and accused him of not only targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi but also the Indian democratic system.
PremiumHours after foreign billionaire investor George Soros has said that the Adani Group row would spur democratic revival in India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have to answer questions, Union Minister Smriti Irani launched a frontal attack on Soros and accused him of not only targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi but also the Indian democratic system.
Speaking to media persons, the BJP leader called upon Indians to unite and respond to foreign powers who are trying to intervene in India's democratic processes.
“This war is being mounted against India and what stands between the war and India's interests is Modi. Everyone should condemn his remarks in one voice," Irani said, as quoted by PTI.
“Designs to weaken Indian democracy will be met with India's might under PM Modi's leadership..the imperialist intentions of an entrepreneur are coming to light who seeks to demonize our democracy," she said.
“The man who broke the bank of England, a man who is designated as an economic war criminal has now pronounced his desire to break the Indian democracy. George Soros, who hedges bets against many countries has now declared his ill intentions in the democratic processes of India," she added.
She alleged that Soros wants to destroy Indian democracy and wanted some "hand-picked" people to run the government here. Irani also claimed that he has created a fund of over USD one billion to intervene in democratic systems, including in India.
Soros has said the turmoil engulfing Gautam Adani's business empire that has shaken the faith in India as an investment opportunity may open the door to a democratic revival in the country.
The fallout from US short seller Hindenburg Research’s attack on the conglomerate threatens to hurt investor confidence in India, has fueled concerns about the country’s regulatory framework and sparked questions about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ties with Gautam Adani.
“Modi is silent on the subject, but he will have to answer questions from foreign investors and in parliament," Soros said in a speech ahead of the Munich Security Conference.
“This will significantly weaken Modi’s stranglehold on India’s federal government and open the door to push for much-needed institutional reforms. I may be naive, but I expect a democratic revival in India."
Soros, who has a net worth of about $.8.5 billion, is the founder of the Open Society Foundations, which gives grants to groups and individuals that promote democracy, transparency and freedom of speech.
The crisis has also put the spotlight on Modi’s relationship with Adani. India’s opposition has been drawing attention to the pair’s close ties and to the business tycoon’s meteoric growth that mirrors Modi’s political journey to the top elected office. Modi has not directly addressed the issue.
(With inputs from agencies)
