New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey, in the Lok Sabha Monday, accused the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation and the Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust, among other NGOs, of taking money from a US government aid agency to fund ‘anti-national’ elements, including those who he said were behind protests against the Agniveer scheme, backed the caste census, or were allegedly promoting terrorism and Naxalism in India.
Speaking during Zero Hour, the MP from Godda, Jharkhand, brought up the Donald Trump administration’s efforts to shut down USAID on the grounds that the agency played a role in toppling several governments across the world.
In a series of accusations, framed as questions to the country and the Opposition, Dubey asked, “Did USAID give Rs 5,000 crore to Open Society Foundations-George Soros to divide India or not? Did USAID and George Soros’s Open Society Foundations give money to the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation and Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust?”
The BJP has repeatedly linked the Congress to the Open Society Foundations, funded by billionaire George Soros, alleging that they are trying to destabilise India.
Dubey also asked whether Sam Pitroda, chairman of the Overseas Congress, and Vijay Mahajan, CEO of Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, received money from USAID. “Has the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation kept Vijay Mahajan to break the country or not?” the BJP MP asked.
While talking about other NGOs, Dubey asked if the Rural Development Trust, “which talks about caste census” and Helping Hand, Falah-e-Insaniat, and Alkhidmat, “who have supported terrorism and Naxalism” in the country were given money by USAID, alleging that Congress has links with them. “Zakat Foundation which is opposing the Waqf Act, which Congress party is supporting, did it get money from USAID or not?” he asked.
Referring to India’s immediate neighbourhood, he questioned the links between the Gandhi family and Muhammed Yunus, the interim leader of Bangladesh, who he said has “destroyed democracy” in the country. He also asked if USAID had given money to the atheist movement in Nepal, “where the Hindu Rashtra ended during the tenure of Manmohan Singh,” and the Taliban in Afghanistan.
The BJP MP alleged that USAID provides funding under the pretext of human rights concerns, the Right to Food campaign, several policy research organisations, among others, and, whether it was the Union government’s Agniveer scheme or the caste census, Congress along with Soros and USAID have been trying to “break the country”. He called on the government to probe the matter immediately and jail those found guilty.
As he was speaking, Congress members protested in the background. When some members wanted to raise a point of order in regard to the allegations, the chair, BJP MP Sandhya Rai, reminded them that there are no points of order allowed during Zero Hour.
Sharing a video of his speech on X (formerly Twitter) later, Dubey said, “Since Independence, Congress has only worked to divide the country. Rajiv Gandhi Foundation and many NGOs took money from USAID to benefit anti-national elements. The Opposition wants to divide the country.”
आजादी से लेकर अब तक कांग्रेस ने सिर्फ देश को तोड़ने का काम किया है , राजीव गाँधी फाउंडेशन तथा काफ़ी NGO ने USAID से पैसे लेकर देश विरोधी तत्वों को फायदा पहुंचाया, विपक्ष देश तोड़ना चाहते हैं. pic.twitter.com/5JO0dKHa5R
— Dr Nishikant Dubey (@nishikant_dubey) February 10, 2025
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