In a renewed attack on Indian NGOs and Western media for allegedly pushing an anti-Prime Minister Narendra Modi narrative, Amit Malviya, BJP’s in-charge of the National Information & Technology Department, has hinted at the possible involvement of the deep state in certain Western nations in this campaign.
Taking to social media, Malviya pointed out what he described as a coordinated effort by several Western institutions to target India ever since the BJP came to power under Modi in 2014.
“A whole ecosystem in the West spanning governments, parliaments, media, think tanks, academia, journals, democracy and religious promotion organisations, and so on, have been targeting India ever since Modi and the BJP came to power in 2014,” Malviya wrote in his post.
He highlighted that this campaign has escalated significantly in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He accused leading global publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, The Economist, Le Monde, and Deutsche Welle of uniformly pushing a negative narrative on issues like democracy and minority rights in India.
“Before the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the anti-Modi and anti-BJP campaign intensified. Established publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, The Economist, Le Monde, Deutsche Welle, etc. uniformly promoted a negative narrative about the state of democracy and minority issues in India, some even calling openly for voting against Modi for re-election,” he said.
He further claimed that this was not just a case of biased journalism but a deliberate and coordinated attempt to influence Indian politics. “Some observers in India felt that this was a concerted campaign that also involved the deep state in these countries,” he added.
Malviya argued that these external attacks were not coincidental but rather synchronized with the political strategies of the Indian opposition. “It is not a coincidence that these attacks on Modi and the BJP government in Western circles were closely aligned with the political attacks by India’s opposition,” he remarked.
Foreign Funding of NGOs and Its Impact
Elaborating on how PM Modi’s government had to impose restrictions on foreign funding of NGOs in India, Malviya reiterated that several of these organizations were allegedly involved in activities against national interests.
“The present government has in recent years greatly tightened up on foreign funding of Indian NGOs when evidence grew that they were engaging in political and social activities against the country’s interest, and also mobilising local populations against some development projects,” he stated.
He specifically targeted the Open Society Foundation (OSF), an organization founded by billionaire George Soros, accusing it of political interference in Indian democracy.
“The Open Society Foundation in particular, founded by magnate George Soros, has been blatantly active politically against Prime Minister Modi himself, and on the issue of democracy in India. Its link with USAID has now come out into the open,” Malviya asserted.
Criticism of US Government’s Alleged Interference in Indian Elections
Malviya also referred to a controversy from the previous month, where he criticized the now-cancelled US government funding meant to influence voter turnout in India. He claimed that such financial initiatives amounted to external interference in India’s democratic process.
“$21M for voter turnout? This definitely is external interference in India’s electoral process. Who gains from this? Not the ruling party for sure!” he said, hinting at a possible conspiracy involving the opposition to leverage American funds for electoral influence.
His comments came in response to a decision by the United States Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed by Elon Musk, which canceled a $21 million grant that was originally approved under former President Joe Biden’s administration. The fund, according to reports, was intended to boost voter turnout in India, a move Malviya strongly opposed.
Malviya’s remarks further fueled discussions around the role of foreign influence in India’s democratic processes and the broader geopolitical battle over narratives surrounding India’s governance.
