Citing a report in The New York Times which alleged that Indian news website NewsClick was among organisations funded by a pro-China US-based network, the government and the ruling BJP said Monday that the Congress, NewsClick and China were linked to an “anti-India umbilical cord”. Raising the issue inside and outside Parliament, the BJP alleged that the Congress had joined “hands with anti-India forces” to break the country. While BJP MP Nishikant Dubey mounted an attack in Lok Sabha, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur and Minister of State (MoS) for Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar raised the issue at a press conference at the party headquarters. In Lok Sabha, Dubey mentioned China, NewsClick and its owner and editor (Prabir) Purkayastha, journalists Rohini Singh and Swati Chaturvedi. His remarks were initially expunged but were restored on the Lok Sabha website late evening — an official of the Lok Sabha Secretariat said whatever had been uploaded was the final version of Dubey’s speech. In the House, Dubey said: “NewsClick is anti-national… It is a tukde tukde gang that wants to break India… NewsClick is headed by Purakaystha and he is also the owner… Where did all the money come from, how he gave it to Naxalites, Maoists… Sharma, Rohini Singh and Swati Chaturvedi just to create an anti-India atmosphere… the Chinese have been giving money.” As the Opposition protested, the proceedings were adjourned. Describing the remarks by Dubey as “defamatory and libellous”, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury wrote to the Speaker, demanding that Dubey’s remarks be expunged “in full (under Rule 380) and that an inquiry be conducted into how such an allegation was permitted to be raised on the record”. Congress MPs Hibi Eden and Manickam Tagore gave notices for moving privilege motion against Dubey. Eden said: “(He) blatantly produced misinformation about Opposition party MPs including Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi and accused them of having been the recipients of money from the People's Republic of China for fostering anti-national activities and further alleged that Opposition party leaders joined hands with journalists and separatists and are indulging in anti-national activities. (the allegations are) highly insulting, deeply distressing and an absolute fabrication intended with intentional malice with a sinister move”. Reached for comment, journalist Rohini Singh said, “I have nothing to do with NewsClick. Nishikant Dubey is using his parliamentary privilege to lie because he is upset that I had questioned his degree and other activities.” Swati Chaturvedi said: “It’s a totally baseless accusation. I have never worked for NewsClick… I challenge any agency or the government to show me a single paisa payment from NewsClick. I have never received any professional payments from any Chinese source. This is pure slander and defamation by an MP misusing his House privilege.” At a press conference, Minister Thakur named NewsClick and China, and alleged their links with the Congress. “Chinese goods are being sold in Rahulji's fake ‘mohabbat ki dukaan’,” he said. Calling the INDIA bloc a “ghamandia gathbandhan” (coalition of the arrogant) – Prime Minister Narendra Modi used the term last week to describe the Opposition alliance – Thakur said: “The ghamandia gathbandhan, its leaders, and all the people supported and nurtured by this alliance can never think of India’s interest. The only mission of this alliance is to make India weak, to harm her interests, to nurture anti-India agenda.” “If you see the funding network of NewsClick, it was funded by a foreigner Neville Roy Singham and he gets funds from China. This Neville Roy Singham has direct contact with the propaganda arm of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese media company Maku Group,” he said. Chandrasekhar claimed there was a “remarkable convergence of strategy and a consistent narrative” by platforms that rally behind “free speech”. He said some countries were fanning misinformation in India with the help of some parties and news websites. “These narratives that are put out by platforms like NewsClick and other platforms that are operating in concert are echoed almost blandly in a similar fashion by this political leader, Rahul Gandhi, who goes abroad and says exactly the same things – democracy is under danger, the judiciary is compromised, EVMs are compromised. This is exactly the narrative that these platforms put out,” he said.
