Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused the US State Department and “deep state” elements of attempting to destabilize India, in collaboration with investigative journalists and opposition leader Rahul Gandhi.
This claim is surprising, given the strong relationship between New Delhi and Washington over the past two decades, with both nations committed to further strengthening ties despite occasional differences.
The BJP alleges that Gandhi’s Congress party used articles from the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), which focused on the Adani Group and its alleged ties to the government, to undermine Modi.
Gautam Adani, the chair of the group, and seven others were indicted in the US last month for allegedly being involved in a $265 billion bribery scheme targeting Indian officials—an accusation the group has denied.
The OCCRP has also accused state-sponsored hackers in India of using Israeli-made Pegasus spyware to target government critics, which the Indian government has previously denied.
The BJP has previously blamed Gandhi, the OCCRP, and billionaire financier-philanthropist George Soros for orchestrating attacks against Modi.
On Thursday, the BJP referenced a French media report stating that OCCRP was funded by the US Agency for International Development and other “deep state” figures, including Soros.
“The Deep State has a clear objective to destabilize India by targeting Prime Minister Modi,” the BJP said in a series of messages on X.
“It has always been the US State Department behind this agenda… OCCRP has served as a tool to carry out this deep state agenda, it added.
Sambit Patra, a BJP spokesperson and lawmaker, reiterated the party’s accusations during an official media briefing on Thursday.
“A French investigative media group has revealed that 50 percent of OCCRP’s funding comes directly from the US State Department,” Patra stated. “OCCRP has been used as a media tool to carry out a deep state agenda.”
Neither the US State Department, US AID, George Soros, nor the Congress party responded immediately to requests for comment.
The Indian foreign ministry also did not comment on the BJP’s allegations against the State Department.
In response, OCCRP clarified in a statement that it is an independent media outlet and not affiliated with any political party. “While the US government provides some funding to OCCRP, it has no influence over our editorial processes or reporting,” the statement said.
The Indian government is facing criticism over the recent US indictment of Gautam Adani, a close associate of Modi, with opposition leaders accusing the Prime Minister of protecting Adani. The Indian parliament was suspended multiple times last week as opposition lawmakers called for a debate on the issue.
Both Modi’s BJP and Adani have denied the accusations.
