New Delhi: An article published in The New York Times (NYT) alleging Chinese propaganda to promote its political agenda across the world, found mention in the Lok Sabha Monday with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) using the report to launch a scathing attack against the Congress.
The matter was raised by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey in Lok Sabha, on a day Congress leader Rahul Gandhi attended his first session in the lower house of Parliament after his membership was revoked following a Supreme Court order which stayed his conviction in a defamation case.
Gandhi was disqualified as a Lok Sabha member on 23 March after a Gujarat court convicted him and sentenced him to two years in jail in the case.
Parts of Dubey’s speech — which included some references to news portal NewsClick and names of journalists and opposition leaders — were initially expunged but later reinstated, leading to criticism.
“I want to raise a serious matter today. They only give importance to foreign publications (New York Times). As per New York Times Rs 38 crore was given to an organisation called NewsClick. The report also mentions the ED raid [against the portal],” Dubey alleged.
An article published in the US daily, The New York Times, earlier this month accused American millionaire Neville Roy Singham of “working closely with the Chinese government media machine and is financing its propaganda worldwide”. The report further added that in New Delhi, “Mr Singham’s network financed a news site, NewsClick, that sprinkled its coverage with Chinese government talking points. The 69-year-old millionaire has denied working at the direction of the Chinese government.
The NYT report does not make any mention of the Congress. The BJP’s attack on the Congress is based on a past ED raid against NewsClick, when the Congress was reportedly among those who had spoken in defence of the news portal.
Soon after Dubey’s allegations, Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 2 pm amid sloganeering by treasury and opposition benches over the report.
The BJP, however, later addressed a press conference on the issue.
“India had been highlighting how NewsClick was a dangerous tool of misinformation and was used for anti-India narrative. But the Ghamandiya [arrogant] coalition [of parties in opposition to the BJP], Congress, China and NewsClick are part of an umbilical cord. Chinese goods are quite visible in Rahul Gandhi’s nafrat ki dukan [shop of hatred]. An anti-India and break-India narrative was being spread by these,” Union minister of I&B, Anurag Thakur, alleged during the press conference.
He added: “When raids were conducted by India’s agency on NewsClick, even then questions were raised about its funding. Singham funded NewsClick and he was funded by China. We had done an expose on NewsClick in 2021 itself.”
Thakur also showed purported social media posts by Congress leaders and others questioning the government over the NewsClick raids and terming it a curb on freedom of speech.
Meanwhile, following the adjournment of the Lok Sabha, leader of Congress in the lower house, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, wrote to Speaker Om Birla regarding Dubey’s comments, asking him to expunge the remarks in totality.
In a statement released later Monday, NewsClick said, “Over the past 12 hours, various false and misleading allegations have been levelled against Newsclick which pertain to matters that are currently subjudice before courts in India. We respect the sanctity of the legal process and do not intend to indulge in a media trial.”
Without taking any names, the statement added: “The allegations being made against us by certain political actors and sections of the media are unfounded and without basis in fact or law. NewsClick is an independent news organisation, and any insinuation that we function as a mouth-piece of the Communist Party of China or other interests is false. We reiterate our faith in the Indian Courts, and are confident that Newsclick has, and continues to function in accordance with Indian law.
“Notably, the Hon’ble High Court of Delhi has, having found a prima facie case in favour of NewsClick, granted interim protection from arrest to various officials of the company. Further, the Hon’ble Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (Special Acts), Delhi, has dismissed a complaint filed by the income tax authorities against NewsClick, finding the same to be without merit,” the statement further said.
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An ‘anti-India agenda’
Monday’s Parliament mention and press conference, were not the first instances of the BJP using the NYT NYT article to target the Congress.
In a social media post a day before too, Thakur had used the report to allege China-Congress links.
“Even newspapers like ‘The New York Times’ are now admitting that Neville Roy Singham and his NewsClick are dangerous tools of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and promoting China’s political agenda across the world. Much before NYT, India has long been telling the world that NewsClick is a dangerous global web of Chinese propaganda. Supported by like-minded forces, Neville has been furthering a dubious anti-India agenda,” tweeted Union Minister Anurag Thakur.
Even newspapers like ‘The New York Times’ are now admitting that Neville Roy Singham and his NewsClick are dangerous tools of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and promoting China’s political agenda across the world.
Much before NYT, India has long been telling the world that… pic.twitter.com/3MtA4UTWkn
— Anurag Thakur (@ianuragthakur) August 6, 2023
He added: “Way back in the year 2021, when India’s law enforcement agencies initiated an inquiry against NewsClick based on strong evidence of money laundering, the Congress and the entire Left-Liberal ecosystem came to defend it. It is natural for the Congress to defend Neville and NewsClick because national interest never matters to its leadership. Isn’t it the same Congress Party that signed an MoU with the CPC [the Communist Party of China] in the year 2008 to promote Chinese interest in India and allegedly accepted donations for the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation (RGF) from the Chinese embassy?”
“The UPA may change its name a thousand times [a reference to the INDIA alliance of parties in opposition to the BJP]. People are aware that the nation will not be safe in the hands of GHAMANDIA gathbandhan [arrogant alliance],” he said.
Much of the allegations he had made on social media a day before were repeated at the press conference Monday.
“Anurag Thakur ji has already explained the threat represented by misinformation and how some countries are actively fanning misinformation in our country with the help of some news platforms in India and with the help of and to help some political parties in India,” minister of state (MoS) for IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, said at the press conference.
He added: “Over a thousand accounts had to be removed in 2021 when we found that they were fanning misinformation in India, whether it was from Pakistan or from Khalistani elements. This news revelation [a reference to the NYT article] further reinforces the threat that our democratic society and our open media face when a group of people and vested interest get together [to] invest in platforms and these groups operate in remarkable coordination and they share a remarkably common consistent goal — lies and hatred about our PM, lies and hatred about our government and fanning communal disharmony and incitement.”
“We have seen this in Manipur recently [a reference to the ethnic violence in the state], we have seen this during the farmers’ agitation [in 2021 against three farm bills which have now been repealed]. They fan a consistent narrative and ironically there is one political leader who is consistent with this narrative. These narratives that are put out by NewsClick and other platforms that are operating are echoed almost blindly in a similar fashion by Rahul Gandhi who goes abroad and says the same thing,” Chandrasekhar further alleged.
(This is an updated version of the report.)
(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)
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