NEW DELHI: The US embassy in New Delhi on Saturday dismissed as “disappointing” the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) accusation that the US State Department manipulated media reports against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asserting that it only supports independent media through capacity-building training for journalists and does not influence the editorial decisions of independent media organisations, The Wire said.

Through a series of posts from its official account on X on Dec 5, the BJP had alleged that the State Department was behind the targeted attacks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling party and attempts to “destabilise India”.

It cited the report of the French investigative media outlet, Mediapart that claimed that the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) had received substantial funds from the US State Department’s USAID.

Earlier on Thursday, BJP members of parliament had used the Mediapart report to attack Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha and alleged that he was colluding with OCCRP and US billionaire George Soros in, which was echoed in the social media posts.

India’s ruling party asserts opposition leader Rahul Gandhi colluding with reporting project

The BJP were accusing the opposition of amplifying investigative reports against Adani group and Israeli spyware Pegasus, but Mediapart article had only alleged that US government “funds investigations focussing on Russia and Venezuela”.

‘Disappointing that ruling party in India would make such allegations’. “It’s disappointing that the ruling party in India would make these kinds of accusations,” The Wire quoted an US embassy spokesperson as saying on Saturday.

The spokesperson noted that 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,” he said. The US embassy noted that 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 BJP had posted on X that “50pc of OCCRP’s funding comes directly from the US State Department”. It stated that “OCCRP has served as a media tool for carrying out a Deep State agenda,” adding that the “Deep State had a clear objective to destabilise India by targeting Prime Minister Modi”.

There has been no reaction from the Ministry of External Affairs, till now. Last week, the MEA had reacted to a remark made by Congress President Rahul Gandhi comparing Modi to the US President Joe Biden’s fading memory. It had led to a sharp MEA response noting that India “shares a multifaceted partnership with the United States and this partnership has been built over years of perseverance, togetherness, mutual respect and commitment by both sides”.

“We see such reports or remarks as unfortunate, and they are not in keeping with warm and friendly ties with the US and do not represent the position of the Government of India,” the MEA spokesperson said on Nov 29.

BJP had dismissed reports on Rafale done by same French media group it cites now.

Rafale issue

Incidentally, The Wire said, French media group Mediapart’s name became known in India due to its series of exclusive investigative reports over alleged crony corruption in the sale of 36 Rafale jet fighter ‘scam’ to India, since 2018. The Indian government and the BJP had then dismissed the reports.

Its last report on the Rafale issue was in Dec 2023, when it investigated that India was stalling a probe by French judges into the corruption allegations. “It is now an established fact: the Indian government of ultra-nationalist prime minister Narendra Modi is keen to bury at all costs the corruption case concerning the sale of 36 Dassault-built Rafale fighter jets to India,” wrote Mediapart in the report dated Dec 14, 2023.

In its latest investigation, Mediapart stated that its report relied primarily on public documents and filmed interviews given to German broadcaster NDR by OCCRP founder Drew Sullivan and several senior US civil ser­vants. NDR later recused itself from publishing the investigation.

The report observed that the OCCRP had “accepted several US government donations that it is obliged to spend on investigations into certain countries that Washington considers to be a priority matter.”

Published in Dawn, December 8th, 2024