'Congress ka haath 'NewsClick' ke saath…,' Thakur seeks apology from Rahul

NEW DELHI: Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur on Tuesday sharpened his attack against the alleged Chinese funding to the Congress and Indian news portal NewsClick and targeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

“All I would like to say Congress ka haath 'NewsClick' ke saath, 'NewsClick' ke upar China ka haath. Rahul Gandhi should apologise to the nation and say how did Rajiv Gandhi Foundation take money from China and where did it use this,” Thakur told reporters before heading to the BJP Parliamentary Party meeting this morning.

The Union Minister said that the Congress leader should apologise to the country in Parliament that China funds NewsClick and explain why his party supported it. “He should tell the country who are the people who provided the funding and what was the compulsion that Congress was seen standing with 'NewsClick', Thakur said.

Yesterday, the Union Minister citing a report in the New York Times had in a press conference charged that China, the NewsClick website and Congress party were linked to an "anti-India umbilical cord".

The US daily in its Sunday report had alleged that Chinese firms were funding the Indian news portal with the aim of spreading Beijing’s propaganda. Thakur alleged that China had signed an agreement with the Congress party and made payments to the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation during the regime of the UPA.

US-based newspaper The New York Times had in its report alleged that American millionaire Neville Roy Singham has worked closely with the Chinese government media machine and is financing the Chinese propaganda worldwide.

Union Minister Thakur said, “Congress, China and NewsClick are all part of an umbilical cord. Chinese products are clearly visible in Rahul Gandhi’s fake ‘Mohabbat ki Dukaan’. His love for China can be seen. Their purpose was to run an ‘anti-India’ and ‘Break India’ agenda”.

“Neville Roy Singham made the funding to NewsClick, and he was himself being funded by China. Neville Roy is in direct contact with the propaganda arm of the Chinese propaganda party. And these facts have been exposed by those newspapers which are highly praised by the Congress party,” Thakur said.

The Union Minister further alleged that when the BJP-led Centre was taking action against NewsClick, Congress and other Opposition parties had come out in its support.

“In 2021, we exposed NewsClick as to how foreign propaganda is used against India. But, these Opposition leaders came in support of NewsClick and alleged that the Centre is curbing the freedom of the press.

Although, Chinese companies were funding NewsClick through Mogul Neville Roy Singham their salesmen were some people from India, who came in their support when action was taken against them. They tried to spread the Chinese agenda and mislead the Indian public through false propaganda. They spread ‘fake news’ in the name of ‘free news’,” Thakur said.

Further, Thakur alleged that during the Beijing Olympics 2008, the Congress party signed an agreement with China, under which payments were made to the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation.

“When Rahul and Sonia Gandhi went to China for Beijing Olympics 2008, they signed an agreement under which high-level exchange were to take place. Under their agreement, a payment was also made to Rajiv Gandhi Foundation. And the agreement was signed by none other than Xi Jinping and Rahul Gandhi,” Thakur said. He added, “What was in that agreement came to light in July 2017, when China tried to encroach on our lands.

At that time, Rahul Gandhi was shaking hands and eating food with Chinese officials. Then, again in Cambridge, Rahul Gandhi heaped praises on China calling them “force of nature” and “aspiring superpower”. BJP member Nishikant Dubey had on Monday targeted Rahul Gandhi, whose membership of Lok Sabha was restored earlier in the day, and demanded that Election Commission should probe “funding of Congress by China”.

Dubey, who made the remarks soon after the House met following its adjournment during question hour, also posted a video of his remarks on Twitter Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary later wrote to the Lok Sabha speaker on behalf of the party demanding the “libellous” and “defamatory” remarks of Nishikant Dubey be expunged from records.