Political storm over New York Times report, BJP alleges Congress-China links

Aditi Tandon

New Delhi, August 7

A massive political storm erupted on Monday over a New York Times exposé on a US millionaire fuelling Chinese propaganda worldwide, including in India, through a news portal, with the BJP alleging a “Congress, China and NewsClick” link and demanding that Rahul Gandhi come clean on his party’s past defence of the news site.

Exposé on Chinese propaganda

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• ‘A Global Web of Chinese Propaganda Leads to a US Tech Moghul’ mentions a financial network that stretches from Chicago to Shanghai to push China’s propaganda worldwide
• The network, the report says, is run by US millionaire Neville Roy Singham who works closely with the Chinese government media machine and finances its propaganda
• NYT says in New Delhi, corporate filings show Singham’s network financed a news site, NewsClick, which sprinkled its coverage with Chinese government talking points

“Even newspapers like The New York Times are now admitting that US tech mogul Neville Roy Singham and his NewsClick are dangerous tools of the Communist Party of China and promoting China’s political agenda across the world. Much before NYT, India said NewsClick is a dangerous global web of Chinese propaganda. Supported by like-minded forces, Neville has been furthering a dubious anti-India agenda,” Union I&B Minister Anurag Thakur said as the BJP fielded him and MoS Rajeev Chandrashekhar to mount the offensive.

Why ED raids questioned?

Why in 2021 when the ED raided NewsClick, the Congress, TMC and the Left defended it in the name of free speech, even though it was peddling fake anti-India news.

Anurag Thakur, Union Minister

Both leaders questioned opposition INDIA alliance parties, mainly the Congress, TMC and the Left, for defending NewsClick in 2021 when the Enforcement Directorate raided it for five days over money laundering charges.

Thakur dared the Congress to unveil nuances of the 2008 agreement it had signed with the China’s ruling party.

“The agreement entailed payment to the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation. We later saw Rahul dine with Chinese diplomats at the height of Doklam clash, praise China constantly while constantly questioning Indian democracy,” alleged Thakur.

The Congress hit back inside and outside Parliament. Lok Sabha Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury wrote to Speaker Om Birla for expunging anti-Rahul remarks BJP MP Nishikant Dubey made inside the House citing the NYT report, the LS secretariat notified the expunction.