'Should Take This Issue Seriously': Kiren Rijiju Backs BJP's Claims Of Sonia Gandhi's Links To George Soros

Throwing his weight behind the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP’s) allegations that former Congress president Sonia Gandhi has links to an organization financed by the George Soros Foundation, Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Monday said that such issues should be taken seriously.

Speaking to reporters in the national capital, there are few issues before the country that should not be seen with “political lenses.” He urged the Congress party and its workers to fight unitedly against "anti-India forces."

"I think that few issues before the country shouldn't be seen with political lenses. George Soros and his links that have come to light—we do not see it as an issue relating to the Congress party or Rahul Gandhi. We should take the issue seriously—if it is related to anti-India forces”.

“We do not see this as party politics... We have told Congress and other parties that we will discuss the Constitution on December 13 and 14 (in Lok Sabha) and on December 16 and 17 (in Rajya Sabha). I want to appeal to the leaders of the Congress party and its workers that if even their leaders are found to have links with anti-India forces, they also should raise their voices, and we should be united and fight unitedly against anti-India forces," he said.

Further elaborating on the George Soros issue, Kiren Rijiju said that the reports have come out in the public domain and the charges are "serious."

"Regarding the George Soros issue, the reports that have come out in the public domain—the charges are serious. Be it a member of parliament or a common man, everyone should work for the country. We appeal to be united and fight against anti-India forces," he added.

On Sunday, the BJP alleged that Sonia Gandhi has links to an organization financed by the George Soros Foundation and which has backed the idea of Kashmir as an independent nation.

In a series of posts on X, the saffron party said that this association shows the influence of foreign entities in India's internal affairs.

Meanwhile, notwithstanding the US' dismissal of BJP's allegations that it is backing attempts to destabilize India, party MP Nishikant Dubey said he would pose 10 questions to Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha on the issue.

He said the media portal Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and Hungarian-American businessman have colluded with the opposition to ruin India's economy and defame the Modi government.

The BJP claimed that Sonia Gandhi, as the co-president of the Forum of the Democratic Leaders in Asia Pacific (FDL-AP) Foundation, is linked to an organization financed by the George Soros Foundation.

"Notably, the FDL-AP Foundation has expressed their views that treat Kashmir as a separate entity," the party said.

"This association between Sonia Gandhi and an organization 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," it said.

The BJP further claimed that Sonia Gandhi's chairmanship of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation led to a partnership with the George Soros Foundation, "displaying the influence of foreign funding on Indian organizations."

"Rahul Gandhi's press conference on Adani was live telecast by George Soros-funded OCCRP, which Gandhi used as a source to criticize 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," it said. The BJP's allegations come after it claimed on Thursday that the US "deep state" colluded with OCCRP and Rahul Gandhi to damage India's image.

(With PTI Inputs)