Ahead of the Karnataka Assembly elections that are scheduled to take place this year, a report by news outfit The Lede has reported attempts by Hungarian-American businessman George Soros and his Open Society Foundations (OSF) to influence the electoral process.
Journalist Sandhya Ravishankar, who covered the story in detail, has reported that OSF Vice-President Salil Shetty is sabotaging the political fortunes of the incumbent BJP government through his ‘Yuva Shakti’ mission.
Shetty, who met Congress scion Rahul Gandhi during the Karnataka leg of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, runs his youth-based organisation in Nelamangala and Doddaballapura in the State.
The Lede reposted a 2020 video of Salil Shetty wherein he discussed the objective behind the ‘Yuva Shakti’ mission in Bihar. “The state of affairs in the country has made us start this,” he was heard saying.
“About 30-40 of us got together from Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru and we discussed that the country is in bad shape and we need to do something about this. There is a big crisis in the country and the financial condition of the nation is weak,” he claimed.
Shetty further insinuated, “The second issue is that religious tension and polarisation have increased. On top of this, healthcare, education & unemployment have come to a very critical state in this country. We discussed solutions. The future and the present are in the hands of youngsters. This is how Yuva Shakti was launched.”
Let me give some perspective on my latest report.
— Sandhya Ravishankar (@sandhyaravishan) March 18, 2023
1. It is established without a doubt that George Soros is directly & indirectly funding mega NGOs like Oxfam, NFI, CSEI, Amnesty International etc.
2. It is a fact that Salil Shetty is VP-Global Ops, Open Society Foundation (1)
According to The Lede Editor, Sandhya Ravishankar, the ‘Yuva Shakti’ mission is anything but an awareness programme about Indian Constitution and citizen rights.
She alleged that Salil Shetty and his aides, namely, Gagan Sethi, Biraj Patnaik, Amitabh Behar, Paul Divakar, and Namala Annie Namala, are focused on building political narratives.
She pointed out how the ‘Yuva Shakti’ mission in Doddaballapuratar regularly targets Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhak while the branch at Neelamangala co-opts Congress party’s slogan of ‘40% sarkar’ against the BJP.
5. It is a fact that George Soros said he “expects a democratic revival in India”.
— Sandhya Ravishankar (@sandhyaravishan) March 18, 2023
6. It is a fact that Salil Shetty walked with @RahulGandhi in Bharat Jodo Yatra in solidarity.
What does all this show? Are Soros & Shetty attempting to change the regime in India? (3)
Sandhya Ravishakar accused the Soros-affiliated organisation of orchestrating protests in Kalpi (Uttar Pradesh) and Nelamangala (Karnataka) in February 2021 at the time of farmer’s protest in the National Capital.
She alleged that Yuva Shakti is attempting to exploit fault lines in society, destroy social cohesion, and subvert the democratic process through undue interference in Karnataka elections.
Anti-India propaganda of George Soros
George Soros has several intellectuals on his payroll, including the former PM Manmohan Singh’s daughter Amrita Singh. Not to forget the curious case of ‘author’ and ‘social activist’ Harsh Mander who had been at the forefront of creating civil unrest during the Anti-CAA protests.
In 2018, George Soros-funded NGO, Sherpa, had attempted to thwart India’s defence deal with France and stall the delivery of Rafale fighter jets.
Moreover, Open Society Foundations (OSF) run by the billionaire had funded the Socio-Legal Information Centre (SLIC), which had been active in seeking the repeal of the sedition law currently used against anti-India elements.
In September 2019, George Soros also met Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan shortly after US President Donald Trump attended Narendra Modi’s ‘Howdy Modi’ event in Houston, Texas.
Interestingly, he is also friends with prominent Congressman Shashi Tharoor, who also happens to have a Pakistani connection. In 2021, there was a hullabaloo in India over allegations of snooping by the Modi government through the use of Israeli spyware, Pegasus.
These allegations stemmed from a report by the leftist-propaganda news outlet, The Wire, which in turn was fed the story by ‘Forbidden Stories (FS). Coincidentally, George Soros’ Open Society Foundation (OSF) happens to be one of the donors of the organization.
George Soros had been unabashed in his attempt to fuel a dangerous anti-India narrative through media and ‘civil society. Organizations funded by him played a key role in creating chaos and unrest under the pretext of anti-farm law protests.
In 1999, the Open Society Foundation began activities in India by providing scholarships and fellowships to pursue studies and research at Indian colleges. Through the OSF, George Soros made significant contributions towards the spread of instability in India.
The Hungarian-American billionaire has also tried to use international institutions, which are funded by him, including Freedom House and V-Dem (Varieties of Democracy) Institute to tarnish the image of India at a global level.
