'Attack-dog' behaviour embarrassment to India: Shashi Tharoor slams BJP after US rejects allegations
New Delhi (PTI): Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Sunday slammed the BJP after the US rejected the ruling party's allegations that elements in the American "deep state" were behind attempts to destabilise India and said this "attack-dog" behaviour is an embarrassment to India.
The US on Saturday rejected the BJP's allegations that organisations funded by the US State Department and elements in the American "deep state" were behind attempts to destabilise India through targeted attacks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and business tycoon Gautam Adani.
A spokesperson at the US embassy described the allegations as "disappointing" and asserted that the US government has been a champion of media freedom around the world.
The BJP alleged on Thursday that the US deep state colluded with the media portal OCCRP (Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project) and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to "damage" India's image.
In a post in X, Tharoor said, "It's clear the BJP neither understands democracy nor diplomacy. They are so blinded by petty politics that they forget the value of a free press and vibrant independent civil society organisations in a democracy, and they are oblivious to a ruling party's responsibilities in maintaining good relations with key foreign countries."
"This attack-dog behaviour is an embarrassment to India," the former minister of state for external affairs said.
The BJP had cited Gandhi's use of reports by OCCRP to attack the Adani Group and to accuse it of having closeness with the government.
"It's disappointing that the ruling party in India would make these kinds of accusations," the US embassy spokesperson has said.
"The US government works with independent organisations on programming that supports professional development and capacity building training for journalists. This programming does not influence the editorial decisions or direction of these organisations," the official said.
The OCCRP, headquartered in Amsterdam, is a media platform that largely focuses on stories relating to crime and corruption.
The BJP had referred to a French media report and said it revealed that OCCRP is funded by the US State Department's USAID, along with other "deep state figures" like George Soros and the Rockefeller Foundation.
"The United States has long been a champion of media freedom around the world. A free and independent press is an essential component of any democracy, enabling informed and constructive debate and holding those in power accountable," the US embassy official said.
Last month, US prosecutors charged Gautam Adani, 62, his nephew Sagar and other defendants for paying over USD 250 million in bribes between 2020 and 2024 to Indian government officials to win solar energy contracts on terms that could potentially bring in more than USD 2 billion in profit. The Adani Group has dismissed the charges as "baseless".
The opposition Congress has demanded a thorough investigation into the allegations and accused the government of shielding the businessman.
In an unprecedented criticism of the US State Department, the BJP said on Thursday, "French investigative media group Mediapart revealed that OCCRP is funded by the U.S. State Department's USAID, as well as other deep state figures like George Soros and the Rockefeller Foundation."
"In fact, 50% of OCCRP's funding comes directly from the U.S. State Department. OCCRP, therefore, functions as a media tool for carrying out deep state agendas," the party said in a series of posts on X.
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2 Indian nationals part of crew of luxury cruise ship that reported hantavirus outbreak
London (PTI): At least two Indian nationals are part of the crew of the Dutch vessel MV Hondius which reported a hantavirus outbreak with five confirmed cases and three deaths so far, according to the BBC.
The luxury cruise ship, operated by Oceanwide Expeditions, began its journey on April 1 from Argentina’s Ushuaia and is expected to arrive in Spain’s Canary Islands on May 10.
About 150 passengers and crew from 28 countries were initially aboard the luxury cruise, but dozens disembarked on the island of St Helena on April 24, according to the report.
Of the 28 nationalities onboard, 38 are from the Philippines, 31 from the UK, 23 from the US, 16 from the Netherlands, 14 from Spain, nine from Germany, six from Canada, and two crew members from India, among others, the BBC reported.
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The World Health Organization said on Thursday that five of the eight suspected hantavirus cases had been confirmed.
A 69-year-old Dutch woman, confirmed to have the virus, has died; her Dutch husband and a German woman were also among the fatalities. Their cases are being investigated.
The UN health agency has said the outbreak is not the start of a pandemic.
Maria van Kerkhove, an infectious disease epidemiologist at WHO, told a news briefing that the situation is not the same as six years ago with Covid-19 because hantavirus spreads through “close, intimate contact”.
Van Kerkhove said “this is not Covid, this is not influenza, it spreads very, very differently”. She said authorities had asked “everyone to wear a mask” on board the MV Hondius.
Those in contact with or caring for suspected cases, she added, should “wear a higher level of personal protective equipment”.
Hantavirus typically spreads from rodents - but in the latest outbreak the transmission between people was documented for the first time, the WHO said.
Meanwhile, health authorities are racing to trace dozens of people who have recently disembarked from the Dutch vessel MV Hondius.
Oceanwide Expedition said 29 passengers, of at least 12 different nationalities, had left the MV Hondius in St Helena, the British Overseas Territory.
It also said the body of one deceased person—now known to be a Dutch man - was taken off the vessel.
Seven of those who left the cruise liner were British nationals.
