Jaishankar tears into George Soros, calls him ‘old, rich, opinionated, dangerous’

George Soros is accused of using his wealth to manipulate global events. This week, his remarks sparked an outrage when he said that PM Modi is silent on the Adani issue.

External Affairs Minister, Dr. S Jaishankar has hit out at anti-India billionaire investor, George Soros for his remarks on the Indian democracy.

He is old, rich, opinionated and dangerous, Jaishankar said while describing Soros.

Jaishankar also said that people like Soros start questioning the democratic setup when electoral outcomes are not according to their liking.

"Few years ago, he actually accused us of planning to strip millions of Muslims of their citizenship, which of course didn't happen. It was a ridiculous suggestion. But you have to understand what this actually mean. I would take a view that Mr Soros is an old, rich opinionated person sitting in New York who still thinks that his views should determine how the entire world works," Jaishankar said in Australia.

"Now if I would only stop at old, rich and opinionated, I would be put away. But, he is old, rich, opinionated and dangerous. Because what happens is when such people actually invest in resources in shaping narrative," Jaishankar said.

During his remarks at the Munich Security Conference, Soros said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is silent on the allegations against Adani Group. He asserted that he will have to answer questions from foreign investors in Parliament.

"This will significantly weaken Modi's stranglehold on India's federal government and open the door to push for much-needed institutional reforms. I may be naive, but I expect a democratic revival in India," Soros had said.

Jaishankar hit back further by saying, " people like him think an election is good if the person they want to see, wins and if the election throws up a different outcome then they will say it is a flawed democracy and the beauty is that all this is done under the pretence of advocacy of open society."

The Congress had said on Friday whether the Adani issue will spark a democratic revival in India largely depends on the Congress and other opposition parties. This has nothing to do with Soros, the Congress said.

"Whether the 'PM-linked Adani scam' sparks a democratic revival in India depends entirely on the Congress, Opposition parties and our electoral process. It has nothing to do with George Soros," Jairam Ramesh, Congress general secretary said on Twitter.

"Our Nehruvian legacy ensures people like Soros cannot determine our electoral outcomes," Ramesh also added.

Who is George Soros:

George Soros is a Hungarian-born American billionaire investor. He is the founder of the Open Society Foundation.

Soros has been accused of using his wealth to manipulate global events and advance his political agenda.

He was born in the year 1930 in Budapest, Hungary.