‘Disappointing,’ says US on BJP’s accusations of Washington trying to ‘target Modi, destabilise India’
New Delhi: The US Saturday termed “disappointing” the Bharatiya Janata Party’s accusation that the State Department and “deep state” elements in Washington were trying to destabilise India in conjunction with a group of investigative journalists and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
“It’s disappointing that the ruling party in India would make these kinds of accusations,” a US Embassy spokesperson said in Delhi.
The response came following a series of posts by the BJP accusing the US State Department for being the force behind investigative reporting portal Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), which it has accused of running an agenda to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India.
“The U.S. government works with independent organisations on programming that supports professional development and capacity building training for journalists. This programming does not influence the editorial decisions or direction of these organisations,” the American embassy spokesperson in a statement.
“The United States has long been a champion of media freedom around the world. A free and independent press is an essential component of any democracy, enabling informed and constructive debate and holding those in power accountable,” it added.
The BJP has been accusing Rahul, the OCCRP and billionaire financier-philanthropist George Soros of attacking Modi.
However, on 5 December, it cited a French media report that said that OCCRP was funded by the US Agency for International Development and “other deep state figures” like Soros.
“The Deep State had a clear objective to destabilise India by targeting Prime Minister Modi,” the BJP had said.
The accusation was unusual because both India and the US have managed to lay a strong foundation in the last two decades and have vowed to further strengthen ties despite some differences and irritants.
BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra repeated the accusations at an official media briefing on Thursday.
“A French investigative media group…has revealed that… 50 percent of OCCRP’s funding comes directly from the U.S. State Department,” Patra said, adding, “OCCRP has served as a media tool for carrying out a deep state agenda.”
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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