On 3 October 3 2023, after early morning raids conducted by the Delhi Police on several individuals associated with the leftist media platform NewsClick, the Congress party voiced its support for the portal, which is under scrutiny due to alleged ties with China.
The official X account of the Congress party, asserted that the raids, linked to Chinese funding, reflect Prime Minister Modi’s apprehension and nervousness. The party framed these developments as an attack on free speech and accused PM Modi of intimidating opposition leaders and journalists who “speak the truth.”
In a statement, the Congress party’s official handle declared, “PM Modi is scared and nervous, especially when confronted by those who question his failures. Whether it’s opposition leaders or journalists, those who speak the truth will face harassment. Today’s raids on journalists provide evidence of this.”
PM मोदी डरे हुए हैं, घबराए हुए हैं।
खासतौर से उन लोगों से जो उनकी विफलताओं पर, उनकी नाकामियों पर उनसे सवाल पूछते हैं।
वो विपक्ष के नेता हों या फिर पत्रकार, सच बोलने वालों को प्रताड़ित किया जाएगा।
आज फिर से पत्रकारों पर छापेमारी इसी बात का प्रमाण है।
— Congress (@INCIndia) October 3, 2023
These events followed the early morning raids by Delhi Police on 3 October 2023, targeting various locations related to the online portal NewsClick. Among the places searched was the residence of Abhisar Sharma, a former television journalist turned YouTuber, in connection with the NewsClick matter. Multiple journalists associated with NewsClick, including Sanjay Rajoura, Bhasha Singh, Urmilesh, Prabir Purkayastha, Abhisar Sharma, Aunindyo Chakraborty, and Sohail Hashmi, had their premises raided by the police.
Apart from the Congress party’s official Twitter handle, several Congress leaders expressed solidarity with the accused NewsClick journalists and criticized these actions as autocratic.
The early morning raids on contributing journalists at Newsclick comes as fresh distraction from the explosive findings of caste census in Bihar and the growing demand for caste census across the country. When he faces questions from out of syllabus, he resorts to the only…
— Pawan Khera 🇮🇳 (@Pawankhera) October 3, 2023
Pawan Khera, Chairman of the Media and Publicity Department of Congress, suggested that the Delhi Police raids, connected to alleged Chinese funding, were conducted to divert attention from the Caste Census report released in Bihar. He stated, “The early morning raids on contributing journalists at NewsClick come as a fresh distraction from the explosive findings of the caste census in Bihar and the growing demand for a caste census across the country. When faced with unexpected questions, he resorts to the only tactic he has in his predictable playbook – DISTRACTION.”
Digvijaya Singh, another Congress leader, expressed his dismay, saying, “Sad this is happening in a free democratic country.”
Sad this is happening in a free democratic country. https://t.co/VuapddY1qw
— digvijaya singh (@digvijaya_28) October 3, 2023
Shashi Tharoor, Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram, questioned India’s democratic credentials and the title “mother of democracy.” He argued that the arrests of some NewsClick journalists did not reflect the actions of a “mother of democracy” and accused the government of being intolerant and undermining democracy.
In a statement on social media, Tharoor wrote, “Shocked to learn of the raids on 30 journalists in Delhi and arrests of several of them. These are not the actions of a ‘mother of democracy’ but of an insecure and autocratic state. Why does a government as strong and authoritarian as this one is, feel threatened by a news website? And that too, one that is not even ranked very high in reach or readership? Intolerance is unworthy of everything that India represents. The government has disgraced itself and our democracy today.”
Shocked to learn of the raids on 30 journalists in Delhi and arrests of several of them. These are not the actions of a “mother of democracy” but of an insecure and autocratic state. Why does a government as strong & authoritarian as this one is, feel threatened by a news…
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) October 3, 2023
Following the actions against NewsClick and its alleged links with China, old Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) between the Congress party and the Communist Party of China (CPC), as well as other instances, have resurfaced on social media.
The Congress party’s alleged connections with China, including the MoU with CPC and funding to the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, have raised questions about its stance toward China, especially in light of its softer approach compared to its stance on the Indian government and journalists accused of receiving funds from China.
One significant reason for the Congress Party’s seemingly favorable stance toward China can be traced back to an agreement in August 2008 between the Sonia Gandhi-led Congress Party and the Communist Party of China (CPC). During the UPA1 government in 2008, the Congress Party and the CPC signed an MoU in Beijing to exchange high-level information and cooperate on important bilateral, regional, and international developments.
This MoU was signed at a time when Left parties in India had expressed distrust in the UPA-1 government led by the Congress Party.
Notably, the close relationship between Chinese leadership and the Congress party, particularly Rahul Gandhi, became evident during the Doklam standoff when Rahul Gandhi was reportedly seen secretly meeting Chinese officials.
Additionally, in 2020, details emerged about the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation’s (RGF) financial operations, revealing substantial contributions from the Chinese government dating back to 2006.
Rather than condemning China’s actions on the global stage, Rahul Gandhi, a Congress leader, has publicly praised China on several occasions, hailing it as an “aspiring superpower” and expressing admiration for its Belt and Road initiative.
Given these controversial aspects of the Congress party’s history and its connections with China, social media users have noted that they are not surprised by the party’s stance on actions against journalists accused of receiving Chinese funds and how it is presented as an assault on democracy.
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