".... external interference in Indian elections. This never happened in India. I want to ask Opposition, is this happening knowingly or unknowingly", BJP MP Sudanshu Trivedi in Rajya Sabha

The Rajya Sabha had to be adjourned on Thursday (Dec 5) in the morning hours itself soon after the proceedings began following an Opposition uproar over BJP MP Dr Sudhanshu Trivedi’s claims over “foreign interference” into India’s affairs.

During zero hour, Trivedi was speaking on “concerns over suspicious and conspicuous attacks on national interest from abroad....

“There was a report on farmers on February 3, 2021 on Indian farmers ahead of that year’s Budget session. The report on Pegasus came out on 28 July, 2021, and the monsoon session was on 19 July, 2021. Following that, on 31 Jan 2023 the Budget session kicked-off and 24 January, 2023, the Hindenburg report came out. 

In January 2023, the Parliament session began and on January 17, 2023, BBC’s documentary, India the Modi question came out,” he cited the 'coincidences' and timings of such revelations. 

He said: “On July 20, 2023, India’s Parliament session began and the Manipur violence video came out just a day before on July 19, 2023. If we see the whole sequence, on May 10 2024, Covid vaccine report was published when the general election campaign was underway in full swing. 

Later, in this session, the Hindenburg report came out during the monsoon session and ahead of the winter session, a US attorney’s report came out concerning an Indian businessman”. 

The point he tried to make was that anti-India and anti-Modi Govt campaigners from overseas have always tried to give some tools into the hands of opposition parties in India. Hence, time and again, Rahul Gandhi went abroad - he made it a point to attack the Indian government and also India's tradition, culture and even ran down economic prosperity and growth graph. 

Worse, Rahul often gloried countries and regimes in China and other such countries.  

BJP lawmaker Trivedi had his argument when he waxed eloquently - ever since India has risen as a strategic, economic and diplomatic power under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and especially in the last three years, there have been developments involving foreign elements who are attacking India’s economic, moral and social interests.

Without naming the publication, Trivedi cited a French publication’s news report on the Sarajevo-based Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP)

..... and said that as per the news report, OCCRP receives foreign government funding and its focus is on India. 

“Along with receiving foreign funding, they also have a connection to George Soros,” he mentioned.

Of course, Trivedi’s veiled remarks were about French publication Mediapart’s investigative report which revealed that OCCRP, the world’s largest organised network of investigative media, hid the extent of its link with the United States government.

He also said, for the first time a foreign government, the Russian government, gave an official statement that there was external interference in Indian elections. 

“This never happened in India. And the other government accused refuted it. I want to ask the Opposition, is this happening knowingly or unknowingly.”

He called for an in-depth and serious probe on the issue. “I have not quoted one report or one incident but a sequence of events,” he said.

The uproar from Opposition benches continued and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar adjourned the proceedings till noon.