BJP sees Congress 'agenda' in Bharat Summit invites, raises George Soros links

The BJP on Saturday targeted the Congress for reportedly inviting former Ecuador foreign minister Guillaume Long to the Bharat Summit in Hyderabad, accusing the party of offering a platform to individuals linked to international networks allegedly seeking to undermine India's democratic institutions.

"Congress must answer: What is the agenda behind inviting Guillaume Long to its Bharat Summit 2026 in Hyderabad? Long is a Senior Research Fellow at CEPR, which reportedly received $420,000 in grants from George Soros-backed Open Society Policy Centre in 2021," BJP national media convener Ashish Usha Agrawal posted on X.

BJP leaders have repeatedly accused the Congress, particularly Rahul Gandhi, of maintaining links with billionaire financier Soros and foreign-funded organisations allegedly working to destabilise India's government and economy.

Long was reportedly invited to speak at the summit organised by the Congress government in Telangana.

Agrawal also referred to Enforcement Directorate raids on eight premises in Bengaluru in March 2025, allegedly linked to the Open Society Foundations and its beneficiaries, in connection with suspected violations of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (Fema).

"The matter assumes significance as the ED conducted searches at eight Bengaluru premises linked to Open Society Foundations and its beneficiaries in March 2025 in connection with Fema violations," Agrawal said.

He specifically attacked Rahul over the purported invite to Long.

"By inviting individuals like Guillaume Long, is Rahul Gandhi seeking international backing for an anti-India agenda? Is Congress bringing together international forces under the banner of 'regime change' to question India's democratic mandate and weaken its democratic and constitutional institutions? Is there a larger political agenda behind this gathering? Rahul Gandhi must answer the nation," Agrawal said.

He said India's democracy was strengthened by the people's mandate and would not be weakened by international networks seeking to undermine it.

BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari alleged that some of the speakers at the summit had links to Soros-backed networks and a record of making anti-India statements.

"Dirty narrative by Congress EXPOSED! Bharat Summit 2026 speakers organised by Congress include individuals with links to George Soros-backed networks and a record of anti-India statements," Bhandari posted on X.

"Rahul Gandhi wants to bring regime-change operators into India's political discourse while preaching about democracy," he alleged, using the hashtag #AntiIndiaCongress.