The ruling BJP launched an attack on the main opposition, the Congress party, in Parliament on Thursday. This followed an exposé by a consortium of European publications, published in Mediapart, a French outlet, in which the BJP questioned the links between the Congress, its leadership, and the US Deep State.
What Is The Deep State?
The term ‘Deep State’ refers to a secretive and hierarchical network of members within US intelligence agencies, such as the FBI and CIA. These entities often carry out covert operations to destabilise democratically elected governments, ensuring that US foreign policy interests are served. These individuals are deeply embedded in financial institutions, industrial sectors, as well as NGOs and media outlets.
The United States began its so-called “soft power” strategy in the late 1990s, during Bill Clinton’s presidency. Alongside then-First Lady Hillary Clinton, he enlisted billionaire hedge fund investor George Soros to fund vast networks of non-profits and, later, media organisations in countries of strategic importance to the US.
In fact, Soros was a vocal supporter of Hillary Clinton during her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2013.
Soros, in turn, established a global network of NGOs that he funded, creating complex layers of hidden financial flows to obscure the true sources of these funds and provide a thin veneer of legitimacy to his operations.
These NGOs often focused on human rights, poverty alleviation, education, and women and minority rights. Through these well-funded NGOs, the Democrats and the CIA could exercise power, waging bloodless wars, orchestrating mass protests, and toppling inconvenient leaders. It was the full force of the world’s most powerful nation being wielded illegally, without regard for the sovereignty of other nations, creating chaos and anarchy at will.
India’s Battle Against Deep State-Funded NGOs
Since 2016, the Indian government has conducted a relentless crackdown on foreign-funded NGOs and other organisations.
According to a statement made by Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai in the Lok Sabha in 2022, between 2017 and 2021, the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) licences of 6,677 NGOs were cancelled. Additionally, between 2011 and 2019, the Union Home Ministry cancelled the registrations of over 19,000 voluntary organisations.
However, George Soros’ Open Society Foundation, Pierre Omidyar’s Omidyar Network, and The Ford Foundation—established by Henry Ford’s son—continue to channel funds into India by circumventing FCRA regulations.
These three foundations have been placed on a prior watchlist by the Indian government, meaning they can donate only if their funding is thoroughly scrutinised and approved.
In response to these restrictions, the foundations have developed a new strategy: they fund and create layers of intermediary organisations through which money is channelled, thus circumventing scrutiny.
This network of NGOs, either directly or indirectly funded by these foundations, has two main objectives:
- To support activities that oppose the Indian government.
- To sponsor and fund media outlets that criticise the Indian government.
The Big Three
1. Open Society Foundation: This is billionaire hedge fund investor George Soros’ “political philanthropy project”, as he himself describes it. The foundation’s stated aim is to “build vibrant and inclusive democracies whose governments are accountable to their people”. It is currently run by Soros’ son, Alexander Soros, now 94 years old.
2. The Ford Foundation: Founded by Edsel Ford, son of the famous car-maker Henry Ford, in 1936, the Ford Foundation’s vision is one of “social justice—a world in which all individuals, communities, and peoples work toward the protection and full expression of their human rights; are active participants in the decisions that affect them; share equitably in the knowledge, wealth, and resources of society; and are free to achieve their full potential”. The foundation is led by a 16-member board, with Darren Walker as president.
3. Omidyar Network: This foundation was established by Pierre Omidyar, the French-born Iranian-American billionaire founder of eBay. He co-runs the foundation with his wife, Pamela Omidyar. The network describes itself as a “social change venture” aiming to “reimagine critical systems and the ideas that govern them to build more inclusive and equitable societies—for the benefit of the many, not just the few—across the globe.”
These three foundations share similar goals and methods, as we will explore further.
Modus Operandi to Impose Policy and Effect Regime Change
Catch Them Young
All three foundations offer fellowships and scholarships for students in India who wish to study abroad. These students are meticulously selected and later form part of a network of organisations, advocacy groups, and NGOs that receive significant funding from the three foundations.
This process bears a resemblance to indoctrination. In line with their stated objectives, these students often become echo chambers for narratives critical of countries deemed “totalitarian” or “autocratic” by those running the foundations.
A glaring example is George Soros’ speech at the Munich Security Conference on 16 February. In it, he remarked: “Adani is accused of stock manipulation and his stock collapsed like a house of cards. Modi is silent on the subject, but he will have to answer questions from foreign investors and 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.”
This unexpected statement prompted a furious reaction from the Indian government, with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar describing Soros as an “old, rich, opinionated, and dangerous billionaire”. The then Minister for Women and Child Development, Smriti Irani, called Soros’ speech an “attack on India”.
Such reactions are not surprising, given that Soros has previously criticised what he—along with the American Deep State—views as “totalitarian regimes” in countries like Russia, China, Israel, and Hungary. He is also widely accused of using his wealth to fund organisations that fuel protests and spread disinformation to effect regime change.
The Ford Foundation and Omidyar Network, however, tend to be more discreet in their operations, although their actions across various countries are consistent with those of Soros.
In this context, it is not surprising that students and young professionals receiving fellowships from the Open Society Foundation and other such organisations consistently promote specific, well-defined narratives.
Why Should Indians Be Concerned?
This reporter reached out to NGO Monitor, a research institute based in Israel that fact-checks NGOs and their funders, particularly in the context of the Arab-Israeli conflict. NGO Monitor has held special consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council since 2013.
Speaking specifically about Soros’ and the Open Society Foundation’s modus operandi, a representative of NGO Monitor (who wished to remain anonymous for security reasons) said: “He [Soros] has a very clear political philosophy—open society. He believes that human beings are the most important and that borders do not matter. When policy changes occur, people need to rise from the ground and be given the tools to bring about that change. That’s why he funds education and universities—he believes change should come from the grassroots.”
The representative further noted that clear evidence had been found of Soros’ interference in the political situations of countries such as Ukraine, Russia, Hungary, Croatia, and others in the Eastern Bloc. “Soros tried the same thing in Arab countries, but civil society was not as developed there, so his success was limited. For example, the Arab Spring turned into an Islamic Winter. NGOs played a major role in the Arab Spring, pushing agendas to gain headlines. But when you examine the work of Soros-funded organisations, their commitment to democracy rings hollow. Why did none of these NGOs push for greater women’s participation in the movement? Why was there no talk about women’s rights? This is because their real aim was to grab headlines.”
“The next generation will be the bureaucrats, journalists, and policymakers who will implement ‘change’ as per Soros’ ideas. That is why he funds them from a young age and places them in organisations linked to him. He claims he funded efforts to remove former US President Donald Trump and supported the Black Lives Matter protests,” the representative added.
Soros is also infamous for his role in the 1992 “breaking of the Bank of England”, when he shorted the British pound, and for his involvement in the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, where his shorting of the Thai baht contributed to the collapse of several Asian economies. He has expressed little remorse for the human cost of these actions. Similarly, Hungary and Israel, along with Russia, have criticised Soros and taken steps to prevent his interference in their domestic affairs.
(Learn about some large NGOs funded by and carrying out the work of the US deep state in Part 2 of this series.)