Jun 4: A new report claims that Washington and Brussels have funneled millions of dollars to influence Indian voters ahead of the recent Lok Sabha elections. According to Russian media outlet Sputnik, DisInfo Lab—a group that monitors information warfare and psychological operations—released the report on June 3rd.
The report, titled "The Invisible Hands: Foreign Interference in Indian Elections 2024," accuses three main entities of pushing a specific agenda as part of this financially-backed scheme.
These entities are the US-based Henry Luce Foundation (HLF), George Soros' Open Society Foundation (OSF), and the French Indologist and political scientist Christophe Jaffrelot (CJ).
"While millions of Indians were choosing their future, a part of the global media and academia was allegedly working on a devious plan to sway their decisions with a well-funded scheme," the 85-page report claims. It also suggests that some Indian intermediaries might have been involved in this plot.
The report also notes that harsh criticism of Indian institutions and their human rights record under Prime Minister Narendra Modi increased significantly in the six months leading up to the election, which began on April 19 and ended on June 1, according to Sputnik.
The Role of CJ, a Major Source of Criticism Against India
The report also pointed out that, in addition to Western English media, French newspaper Le Monde was notably critical of India.
The report noted that while examining the discussions about the Indian elections, Jaffrelot (French Political Scientist)was identified as the main source for many articles from Western media and some Indian media outlets, specifically focusing on the Indian elections.
The report also claims that the idea of a "caste census," included in the opposition Congress Party's manifesto, originated from the Indologist Christophe Jaffrelot.
"In 2021, Christophe Jaffrelot published a research paper on the need for a caste census in India and later wrote articles in Indian media about it. Remarkably, in a nation of 1.4 billion people, he managed to bring this topic into public discussion, especially during the election season. This was an impressive achievement for any academic," the report states.
The report accuses the political scientist of spreading a false narrative through "peer-reviewed" publications, claiming that "upper-caste dominance" had been increasing in the BJP. It suggests that this theory, which could deepen divisions in Indian society, was part of a "deliberate propaganda" effort.
"Peer-reviewed" refers to the process used in academic publishing where experts in the same field evaluate and critique a researcher's work before it is published. This process ensures the research meets certain standards of quality, validity, and significance.
Henry Luce Foundation (HLF)
The report also reveals that Jaffrelot was among several academics and think tanks funded by the US-based Henry Luce Foundation (HLF) for a three-year period from 2021 to 2024. The foundation was established by Henry Luce, one of the founders of Time Magazine.
One of Jaffrelot's projects, titled "Muslims in a Time of Hindu Majoritarianism," reportedly received $385,000 in funding from the Henry Luce Foundation.
The foundation has been found to sponsor these individuals to conduct India-specific research leading up to the 2024 election.
The report mentions that the HLF employs many former US government officials and think tank members who are known to have ties with institutions closely associated with the US establishment.
In addition to funding Jaffrelot, the Henry Luce Foundation (HLF) also supported a project titled "The Hindu Right and India’s Religious Diplomacy" at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs.
The foundation also provided $120,000 to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP), which produced articles such as "Hindu Nationalism: From Ethnic Identity to Authoritarian Repression," "Religion, Citizenship, and Belonging in India," and "Religion-as-Ethnicity and the Emerging Hindu Vote in India," among others.
Moreover, the HLF supported Human Rights Watch (HRW) with $300,000 for a project documenting religious violence in Asia, specifically in Myanmar, Indonesia, and India.
The report also mentions that HLF funded research of anti-BJP academics in the US, including California-based activist Angana P. Chatterji and Audrey Truschke, an academic at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. (SUNY)
George Soros' Involvement in Promoting Anti-India Sentiment
The DisInfo Lab article highlights the role of Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros and his charity, the Open Society Foundations (OSF), in spreading negative views about India and Prime Minister Modi.
Soros not only funded Christophe Jaffrelot but also supported Canadian-Indian activist Ricken Patel.
According to the report, Patel's Namati Foundation received millions from OSF between 2016 and 2022. Being involved in several anti-India projects funded by OSF, Patel started chairing a 'Friends of Democracy' group in 2023. The group's stated goal was to 'fight against the ruling party' to save India.
The report states that 'Friends of Democracy,' co-chaired by George Soros' son Jonathan Soros, spread "propaganda" on issues like India's purchase of Russian oil, with views that closely matched those of the US government.
Some of the funds received by Patel's group were also directed to Indian think tanks, such as the New Delhi-based Centre for Policy Research (CPR), which had its foreign funding license revoked in 2020 reports Sputnik
(The author Girish Linganna of this article is a Defence, Aerospace & Political Analyst based in Bengaluru. He is also Director of ADD Engineering Components, India, Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany. You can reach out to him at: girishlinganna@gmail.com)