News Brief
Union Minister Smriti Irani (Ravi Choudhary/Getty Images)
Union minister Smriti Irani launched a scathing counterattack on the Congress on Wednesday (28 June), accusing them of maliciously registering an FIR against BJP IT department head Amit Malviya in Karnataka.
She reiterated her allegations against Rahul Gandhi regarding his recent visit to the United States. Smriti Irani claimed that Rahul Gandhi had associated with individuals of questionable credentials, including those close to liberal financier George Soros, in an attempt to establish a connection between them.
During a press conference, the minister posed a question to the Congress party, asking if it was true that Rahul Gandhi had met Sunita Vishwanath during his trip to the US. She questioned why Rahul Gandhi was associating with individuals funded by George Soros when it is widely known what Soros intends to do.
Smriti Irani further pointed out that the Soros connection was not limited to just one instance. She highlighted that even during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Karnataka, Rahul Gandhi was accompanied by the Global Vice President of the Open Society Foundation, an organization funded by George Soros.
Previously, 'progressive' and 'liberal political causes' supporter, George Soros, made headlines in India for his remarks on the Adani-Hindenburg saga at the Munich Security Conference.
Soros criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi for remaining silent on the fraud allegations against the Adani Group. He emphasized that Modi would have to address these concerns from foreign investors and in Parliament.
Smriti Irani also criticized Rahul Gandhi for allowing Tanzeem Ansari of the Islamic Circle of North America to host a programme for the Indian diaspora during his visit to the US. She pointed out that Ansari has an organisational link with the Jamaat-e-Islami.
She claimed that the link with the Islamic Circle of North America is extremely distressing. She urged those in the public domain to research how the registration process for NRI interaction with Rahul Gandhi in New York unfolded, as they would find the contact of Tazeem Ansari, who has an organisational link with Jamaat-e-Islami.
This comes amidst the development of the Karnataka police having registered an FIR against Malviya for posting a video on social media that mocked Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of "promoting enmity within groups" and "instigating people." Malviya has been booked under sections 153(A), 120(B), 505(2), and 34 of the Indian Penal Code.
Malviya tweeted a video with captions stating, "Rahul Gandhi is dangerous and playing an insidious game" and "More dangerous are people who are pulling strings of #Raga like Sam P, staunchly anti-India, they leave no stone unturned to defame India overseas, just to embarrass Hon’ble PM @Narendramodi ji."
Police said on Wednesday that they registered a case following a complaint from Ramesh Babu, a member of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, in connection with a tweet recently posted by Malviya.