(Sydney) The head of Indian diplomacy on Saturday attacked “alarmist” detractors who say that Indian democracy is under threat, in particular pinning billionaire George Soros, a frequent target of the conservative right.
At an event in Sydney, Australia, Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar rejected accusations that searches of BBC offices in India reveal an authoritarian turn by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government.
The minister defended Mr Modi and called his critics “alarmists” with a “Euro-Atlantic vision” of democracy and not respecting the political choice of the Indian people.
“There are still people in the world who think their definition, their preferences, their views should take precedence over everything else,” he said.
India’s tax authorities raided BBC offices in New Delhi and Bombay on Tuesday, weeks after a documentary on Mr Modi’s role in the deadly 2002 sectarian riots aired.
PHOTO ALTAF HUSSAIN, REUTERS ARCHIVES
Members of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police stand guard outside a building housing the BBC offices, where income tax officials are carrying out a search.
Mr Jaishankar pointed the finger at billionaire and philanthropist George Soros who recently highlighted the Indian chief’s close ties to suspected fraudulent Gautam Adani conglomerate companies, and suggested that Mr Modi “is not a democrat even though India is a democracy.
The Indian minister described the 92-year-old Hungarian-born American financier as “old, wealthy, opinionated and dangerous” and someone who “still thinks his views should determine how the whole world “.
“People like him think an election is good if the person[ils soutiennent] takes it away. If the election results in a different result, then [ils disent] that democracy is flawed,” Mr. Jaishankar argued.
Mr. Soros has a long history of funding projects promoting transparency and democracy, making him the target of many conspiracy theories and politically motivated attacks.