New Delhi: Union minister Smriti Irani hit out at George Soros accusing him of seeking to demonize India’s democracy and bring an onslaught on the country’s economy for his personal gains.
Billionaire US investor George Soros’ remarks that he expected a democratic revival in India in the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “weakened stranglehold on the Indian government” following the Adani issue on Friday invited sharp reactions from the ruling BJP and opposition Congress with both signalling to Soros the strength of Indian democracy which alone could determine domestic electoral outcomes.
The BJP fielded minister Smriti Irani to term the remarks of Soros as attempts to weaken the democratic processes of India and an attack on India itself.
“Soros wants a pliable government that can serve his interests. His comments are a war against India. Between this war and Indian interests stands PM Modi. This is not the first time Narendra Modi has been attacked but this is the first time anyone has announced his ill intention to harm Indian democracy. This assault of Soros will be met with the might of the Indian electorate,” Irani said.
She said no political organization that seeks to serve India’s interests can stand with Soros.
The Congress too said Indian democratic revival (read change of government) had nothing to do with Soros.
“Whether the PM-linked Adani scam sparks a democratic revival in India depends entirely on the Congress, Opposition parties & our electoral process. It has NOTHING to do with George Soros. Our Nehruvian legacy ensures people like Soros cannot determine our electoral outcomes,” AICC general secretary communications Jairam Ramesh said while Uddhav Thackeray led Shiv Sena asked why the BJP had to do a full-fledged press conference on Soros.
Who is he? asked Sena’s Priyanka Chaturvedi, a Rajya Sabha MP.
Soros at an international conference said that PM Modi and Adani are close allies. “Adani enterprises tried to raise funds in the stock market but failed. Adani is accused of stock manipulation and his stocks collapsed like a house of cards.
Modi is silent. But he will have to answer questions. This will significantly weaken Modi’s stranglehold on the federal government and will open the door for much-needed institutional reforms. I may be naive, but I am excepting democratic revival in India.