BJP on Monday accused the Congress of aligning with China and a media outlet allegedly funded by China to do “anti-India propaganda”. The Congress described the allegations as “absurd” with the party threatening to file a privilege motion in Parliament.

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey and later Union ministers Anurag Thakur and Rajeev Chandrasekhar cited a report in The New York Times to allege that the “Congress, China and NewsClick, the news organisation they named is part of an anti-India umbilical cord”.

The news portal, NewsClick, said that it is an “independent news organisation”. “The issues to which your questions relate are sub judice before the courts in India. We respect the sanctity of the legal process and do not intend to indulge in a media trial. That said, we wish to confirm that the allegations being made against us by certain political actors and sections of the media are misleading, unfounded and without basis in fact or law. We are an independent news organisation, and any allegations that we function as a mouthpiece of the Communist Party of China or other interests are false,” said NewsClick in a statement.

Meanwhile in remarks in the Lok Sabha, parts of which were expunged by the Lok Sabha secretariat later, Nishikant Dubey said the article in the newspaper detailed how one website had received ₹38 crore in funding and that money had been used to create an “anti-India” atmosphere. He also accused the opposition of stoking that atmosphere and that they too had received funding from that foreign government.

Congress said it would file a privilege notice against Dubey, with party leader Manickam Tagore preparing the paperwork to do so. Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary raised the issue on the floor of the House and lodged a formal complaint with Speaker Om Birla. 

Outside Parliament, Information and Broadcasting minister Anurag Thakur and Information Technology minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar said Congress and the CPM were part of an ecosystem funded by China to create anti-India propaganda.

“Chinese goods are being sold in Rahul ji’s fake ‘Mohabbat ki Dukan,” said Thakur. “If you see the funding network of NewsClick, it was funded by a foreigner Neville Roy Singham and he gets funds from China. This Neville Roy Singham has direct contact with the propaganda arm of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese media company Maku Group,” he said. 

“There is a remarkable similarity in misinformation, lies and hatred spread by platforms like NewsClick and the false narratives echoed blandly by Rahul Gandhi,” said Chandrasekhar. 

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