BJP Accuses Congress of Defending NewsClick Amidst Chinese Funding Allegations

New Delhi, August 7, 2023: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched a scathing attack on the Congress and Rahul Gandhi, alleging Chinese funding for the party in light of a recent New York Times exposé.

The report revealed that Newsclick, a New Delhi-based media portal financed by American tech mogul Neville Roy Singham, was allegedly promoting Beijing’s agenda. The BJP also claimed that the Congress had defended NewsClick during an Enforcement Directorate investigation into its funding in 2021.

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey took the offensive against the Congress in parliament, leading to portions of his speech being deleted following strong objections from the Congress, which labeled the charges as “defamatory”.

The New York Times investigative report highlighted, “In New Delhi, corporate filings show, Singham’s network financed a news site, NewsClick, that sprinkled its coverage with Chinese government talking points.” The report disclosed the intricate connections between activists’ groups, non-profit organizations, shell companies, and their alleged links to Beijing and Chinese propaganda.

The BJP contended that India had long asserted that “NewsClick is a dangerous global web of Chinese propaganda”. It criticized the Congress and other opposition parties for supporting the news portal and raising concerns about press freedom during the Enforcement Directorate’s inquiry into alleged money laundering. Investigators had traced approximately Rs 38 crore in foreign funding to NewsClick, with the flow of funds linked to Neville Roy Singham, who was allegedly associated with the propaganda arm of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Union Minister for Information and Technology Anurag Thakur stated, “The newspaper (NYT), about which Congress and opposition parties talk big, has confirmed what India had said two years ago. In 2021, we exposed NewsClick and how foreign hand was working against India.”

The Congress termed the BJP’s allegations “absurd”, asserting that no political party member could be considered anti-Indian. NewsClick denied the allegations, asserting its status as an independent news organization and dismissing claims of being a mouthpiece for the Communist Party of China or any other interests.