Congress' Ties to West-Funded Critics of PM Modi Raises Eyebrows in India
© AP Photo / Manish Swarup
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India's main opposition Congress Party is facing criticism for courting west-funded experts with a track record of criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the global stage.
On Sunday, an Indian-origin British academic and author Professor Nitasha Kaul took to social media to announce that she had been denied entry into India at the Bengaluru Airport by Indian officials.
Kaul, a professor at London-based University of Westminster, was invited by the Congress state government in Karnataka as a speaker at the ‘Constitution and National Unity Convention' in Bengaluru last week.
"The (Indian) officials informally made references to my criticism of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a far-right Hindu nationalist paramilitary from years ago," Kaul wrote on X.
Kaul has been critical of India's stance on the Kashmir dispute, the country's human rights' record under PM Modi and has reportedly incited separatism in the country.
This month, the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) told the Delhi High Court that it had cancelled the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) status of another academic, Ashok Swain, who is a tenured professor at Sweden's Lund University.
In fact, a report by Indian website Article 14 this month claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has cancelled OCI status of 102 Indian-origin people since 2014 on national security grounds. Most of these people are believed to be based in western countries.
Congress Using Western Institutions to Tarnish India's Image
The Congress party was increasingly "resorting to the use of propagandists based in Europe and the US to tarnish the image of India globally," Dr Anirban Ganguly, Chairman Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-affiliated think tank Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation (SPMRF), and a member of BJP's National Executive Committee (NEC), told Sputnik India.
He highlighted that most of the "anti-India propagandists" were based in the European Union (EU), the United Kingdom (UK) and the US, and have strong ties with the Congress party leadership.
"The activities of these experts are being coordinated by the Indian Overseas Congress. They have ensured that Congress leaders get invited to speak about India at these universities and forums. They have used the opportunity to get back and make personal attacks against Prime Minister Modi. Their accusations are mere propaganda and not backed by facts," stated Ganguly.
India’s Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi gestures as he leaves after a media briefing at the party headquarters in New Delhi on August 11, 2023.
© ARUN SANKAR
Congress Breaking Golden Rule of Indian Politics
Ganguly accused the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of "breaking the golden rule of Indian politics" by criticising India on foreign soil.
“In the last 10 years, driven by its animosity towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress has put together a so-called web of experts, who are basically anti-India and functioning out of American and European universities," the think-tanker stated, noting Gandhi's past speaking engagements at prominent British and Ivy League Institutions.
Gandhi was searingly critical of India's human rights track record under PM Modi at these fora, which has evoked a strong reaction from the BJP.
Questioning professor Kaul's invitation by the Congress state government, Ganguly recalled that she had lobbied actively to deny then Chief Minister Narendra Modi a speaking opportunity at the Wharton India Economic Forum in 2013.
Further, he expressed surprise as to how academics like Swain were being allowed to "spew venom against India" by the Swedish government.
The expert underlined that the "Congress-backed western experts" were deliberately trying to hide India's achievements.
"Around 25 crore (250 million) Indians have been lifted out of multi-dimensional poverty. Why aren't they highlighting these statistics? There is the highest representation of Dalits and Scheduled Castes at the ministerial level of the Indian government. Why aren't they talking about these?," the BJP think-tanker questioned.
Dr Anant Bhagwat, the head of national security think tank Global Strategic Policy Foundation Pune (GSPFP), told Sputnik India that the Indian opposition has been "collaborating" with vested foreign interests to slander New Delhi.
Bhagwat echoed concerns that the opposition has been "blinded" by its hate towards PM Modi, who is predicted to win a thumping majority in the upcoming national election.
"Their actions undermine India's sovereignty," Bhagwat warned.
He added that the western governments won’t be comfortable with a “strong mandate” for PM Modi in the upcoming election, a goal shared by Indian opposition who have come together under the banner of I.N.D.I.A coalition
Leaders from the opposition INDIA alliance raise their hands together in a show of unity during a protest rally against the suspension of more than 140 lawmakers from parliament, in New Delhi, India, Friday, Dec. 22, 2023.
© AP Photo / Altaf Qadri
Congress Should Stop Criticising Russia
Ganguly slammed Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and former federal minister P Chidambaram for their critical remarks directed at Russian President Vladimir Putin and the country’s democratic processes.
"I have very friendly advice to the Congress Party. Let them put their own house in India in order before worrying about Russia or the world. Don't worry about Russia's domestic politics because that is their internal affair. The Russians are well-placed to take care of their own interests," Ganguly remarked.
The BJP politician said that Congress would be well-advised to try and "keep its flock together", amid a string of desertions by senior Congress politicians to the BJP in the lead-up to the election.
"The Congress seems to be confused about the global forces at work, or what's happening in the world for that matter," Ganguly reckoned.
He slammed Congress for “trying to project itself globally as a defender of democracy.”
“Ironically, the same Congress party has over the course of its history has only been de-facto controlled by members of just one family. How could they speak about democracy? Do they have any legitimacy to talk about democracy?" Ganguly concluded.
21 December 2023, 19:36
