New Delhi, (Economy India): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday cited a media report alleging links between protests in India and unrest in France to accuse the Congress of being involved in an alleged “regime change plot”. The party also launched a personal attack on Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, calling him “gaddar” (traitor).
The Congress had not immediately responded to the allegations at the time of publication.
The BJP’s charges followed a report published by The Times of India, which referred to a Fox News digital investigation that allegedly identified connections between riots in France and protests in India demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
The allegations and interpretations cited by the BJP have not been independently established in the source material provided.
BJP Alleges Links Between Protests in Multiple Countries
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia accused Rahul Gandhi of promoting what he described as an atmosphere of anarchy.
Bhatia alleged that the media report pointed to connections between protest movements and foreign organisations. He used the findings cited in the report to question whether political leaders in India had links with groups operating internationally.
The BJP spokesperson also referred to Rahul Gandhi as “Mir Jafar”, invoking a historical figure associated with betrayal, and questioned the Congress leader’s conduct as Leader of Opposition.
These remarks represented the BJP’s political allegations; the supplied report does not establish that Rahul Gandhi or the Congress coordinated an international effort to overthrow elected governments.
BJP Refers to ‘Red-Green Ecosystem of Protest’
Bhatia cited the investigation’s reported description of a network of 101 organisations operating across nine countries. According to his account, the report characterised the groups as a “red-green ecosystem of protest”.
He said the term “red” referred to communist groups, while “green” referred to Islamic groups. The BJP argued that the alleged network illustrated coordination among organisations involved in protests in different countries.
However, the material supplied does not include the complete Fox News investigation, its underlying evidence, or independent confirmation of the claimed connections. The specific roles of the organisations and the nature of any coordination therefore remain unverified here.
BJP Leader Pradeep Bhandari Raises Questions Over Progressive International
BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari also referred to the report in a post on X, describing it as an investigation exposing what he called an “anarchy and regime change plot” involving the Congress.
Bhandari said the report, titled “Global Chaos Inc Grows to 101 Groups”, identified Progressive International (PI) as an organisation allegedly coordinating common messaging among protests in France, Albania and India.
He claimed the messaging aimed at “acquiring organised power through new rebellion” and described this as evidence of a regime-change agenda.
Bhandari further alleged that Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi had met representatives of Progressive International at 10 Janpath on April 10, 2025. He argued that the alleged meeting raised questions about possible links between Congress leaders and international organisations.
The supplied material does not independently verify the alleged meeting, its purpose, or the claims of coordination attributed to Progressive International.
BJP Demands Congress Response
Bhandari questioned whether the Congress had coordinated with Progressive International during the protests and asked what communications may have taken place between the party and the organisation.
He also raised questions about Rahul Gandhi’s reported plans to travel to Vietnam and whether the trip had any connection to a proposed protest on November 1.
The BJP demanded that the Congress clarify its position on the allegations. No immediate response from the Congress was available in the supplied report.
Allegations Remain Contested
The controversy centres on claims attributed to a media investigation and the BJP’s interpretation of its reported findings. The allegations concern possible international links between protest movements and political organisations, but the material provided does not establish that the Congress or its leaders participated in a coordinated foreign-backed regime-change effort.
Further assessment would require examining the complete investigation, verifying the evidence cited in it, and obtaining responses from the organisations and political leaders named.
(Economy India)
