New Delhi: Uproar over BJP’s allegations linking top Congress leaders with US-based billionaire investor George Soros-funded organisations involved in “anti-India” activities rocked both houses of Parliament which failed to transact any legislative business on Monday, even as both parties traded charges.
The BJP intensified its attack on the Congress leadership, demanding Sonia Gandhi disclose her role as the “co-president” in a George Soros Foundation-funded organisation, and ruling party chief J P Nadda called for a discussion in the Rajya Sabha on the issue, asserting it is a matter of internal and external security.
The Congress dismissed the allegations, accusing the BJP of putting at stake India’s ties with another country to divert attention from the charges against Gautam Adani, and continued its protests for a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe against the business tycoon.
The Lok Sabha saw opposition members submitting notices to move a privilege motion against a BJP member for the allegations against Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi as they protested over allegations of George Soros-Congress link and the Adani issue.
In Rajya Sabha, members of treasury benches were on their feet, raising slogans and demanding answers from the Congress over reports of alleged links with Soros, triggering protests from opposition members.
The BJP members demanded a discussion on the Soros issue, contending that the issue of national security is involved. The party has been on the offensive over the issue since last week when it alleged that Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi had links with Soros-backed outfits allegedly involved in anti-India activities.
After a brief first adjournment during Zero Hour, Leader of the House J P Nadda said BJP members were agitated over an issue that involved Congress leaders and wanted a discussion.
“The link between the Forum of Democratic Leaders Asia-Pacific (FDL-AP) and George Soros is a matter of concern. Its co-president is a member of this House,” he said.
Nadda alleged the FDL-AP sees Jammu and Kashmir as a “separate entity” and gets financial support from the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation.
“…Congress is becoming a tool…Therefore, there should be a detailed discussion. …This is a matter of internal and external security,” he said.
As several members of the NDA raised the issue, demanding discussion, Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Mallikarjun Kharge and other Congress leaders like Jairam Ramesh and Pramod Tiwari asked how the chairman was allowing the ruling party members to raise the issue when he had rejected their notices.
“It is wrong to raise the issue like this and damage the image of a member, who is not in the House,” Kharge said.
“We did not expect this from you,” Congress’ Digvijaya Singh told the Chair.
The Chairman cautioned that “we cannot afford to overlook” the evil designs of forces inimical to India’s unity, integrity and sovereignty, asserting that the “functioning of the deep state affects us more perniciously than the Covid disease”.
“Any challenge to the unity and integrity of the nation from within or outside requires all of us to offer a united challenge … It is a challenge to our very existence. We as a nation are committed to fighting the sinister forces, the forces that are inimical to India… a deep state that is evolving is required to be neutralised by all of us,” he said before adjourning the Upper House for the day.
Addressing a press conference, BJP leader Sudhanshu Trivedi asked Sonia Gandhi to disclose her role as the “co-president” of the Forum of the Democratic Leaders-Asia Pacific (FDL-AP) Foundation.
“It’s Sonia Gandhi’s birthday today. We congratulate her on her birthday…FDL-AP is funded by George Soros. Most humbly, we ask her why she accepted the position of the FDL-AP’s co-president. What is the Congress-Soros friendship?” Trivedi said.
“It’s the same George Soros who had openly pledged that he has put up USD 1 billion to destabilise the Modi government,” he said.
Dismissing the allegations, Congress leader Pawan Khera said the real conspiracy unravelling during the Parliament’s Winter session is that the government would even put India’s ties with another country just to save Gautam Adani.
Leaders of some INDIA bloc parties protested in the Parliament complex over the Adani row, with Gandhi conducting a mock ‘interview’ over the issue with Congress members wearing masks of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and industrialist Gautam Adani.
The BJP hit back, calling Gandhi a “comedy king” who is trying to stay relevant and “playing the role of a pawn to perfection”.
“Rahul Gandhi is indulging in what he does best — Stand-up comedy! His malicious claims and rants have crumbled under the weight of comprehensive investigation every time. Playing the role of a pawn to perfection, he yet again attempts to mislead despite his misinformation campaigns failing to cut ice with the people of India,” Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on X.
In the Rajya Sabha, BJP’s Laxmikant Bajpayee was given the floor to raise his Zero Hour mention and he started speaking on the issue of national security.
Congress’ Jairam Ramesh objected to his remarks, saying the Chair has rejected notices under Rule 267.
“This is most unfair. You have rejected the notice, all notices… this is all part of a game plan to raise this issue and have this entire House adjourned. Sir, please don’t be party to this,” Ramesh said.
Dhankhar earlier rejected all 11 notices under Rule 267, including by BJP’s Sudhanshu Trivedi, Kavita Patidar and Laxmikant Bajpai, G K Vasan of Tamil Maanila Congress, and JDU’s Sanjay Kumar Jha.
Both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned thrice amid noisy scenes as members of the treasury benches and the opposition clashed. The two Houses were finally adjourned for the day a few minutes after 3 pm.
“Integrity and sovereignty of the nation are sacred for us. We cannot allow any forces within the country or outside to sacrilege our unity, our integrity and our sovereignty,” Dhankhar said, urging leaders to meet in his chamber again at 10:30 am on Tuesday.
Earlier, Opposition members were in the well of the House when the Lok Sabha convened at 11 am and a visibly upset Speaker Om Birla adjourned the proceedings till noon.
PTI
