Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP accuses U.S. State Department, alongside “deep state” actors, of working to destabilise India. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claims this is being done in collaboration with investigative journalists and opposition leader Rahul Gandhi.
The accusations come as a surprise, given the historically ties between New Delhi and Washington over the past two decades. Both nations have pledged to deepen their strategic partnership despite occasional disagreements.
The ruling party said Gandhi’s Congress party used the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP)’s articles that “singularly focused” on the Adani Group and its alleged closeness to the government to undermine Modi.
The Adani Group, led by Gautam Adani, has been under investigation following U.S. indictments last month accusing Adani and others of being involved in a $265 billion bribery scheme involving Indian officials. Adani has dismissed these allegations as “baseless.”
OCCRP’s investigations have also highlighted claims of state-sponsored hacking in India, alleging the use of Pegasus spyware to monitor government critics. The Modi administration has consistently denied these accusations.
This isn’t the first time the BJP has pointed fingers at global players. Previously, it accused Rahul Gandhi, the OCCRP, and billionaire financier-philanthropist George Soros of conspiring to undermine Modi. On Thursday, the BJP cited a French media report alleging that OCCRP receives funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and individuals like Soros.
“The Deep State has a clear objective to destabilise India by targeting Prime Minister Modi,” the BJP declared in posts on social media platform X (formerly Twitter). BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra further alleged that “50% of OCCRP’s funding comes directly from the U.S. State Department,” claiming the organisation acts as a media tool for these agendas.
In response, OCCRP issued a statement emphasising its independence and denying any political affiliations. “While the U.S. government provides some funding to OCCRP, it has no influence over our editorial decisions or reporting,” the organisation stated.
Neither the State Department, USAID, Soros, nor the Congress party has responded to the BJP’s claims. India’s foreign ministry has also remained silent on the matter.
Meanwhile, domestic political pressure on the Modi government is mounting. Parliament sessions have been repeatedly disrupted as opposition leaders demand accountability over Gautam Adani’s indictment and his perceived proximity to the Prime Minister. Both Modi’s BJP and Adani have steadfastly denied the allegations.
This episode underscores the deepening political fault lines in India and raises questions about the role of international actors in the nation’s turbulent political landscape.
