New Delhi: A day after rejecting BJP’s charge of having used “external interference” in elections through USAID, Congress on Tuesday took a jibe at Smriti Irani for having served as its Goodwill Ambassador in India in the past.
Congress leader Priyank Kharge shared a screenshot of the BJP leader’s profile uploaded to the Ministry Of Minority Affairs in which it is mentioned that the TV actor-turned-politician had served as the USAID Goodwill Ambassador in India for the WHO-ORS program before she made her political debut.
“Does this imply that BJP politicians are the real agents of George Soros?” he asked.
Retweeting Priyank Kharge’s post on X, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said, “This is brilliant. We finally have the answer to BJP’s favourite question – Rasode Mein Kaun Tha? The actual agent of George Soros turns out to be Smriti Irani.”
Dismissing the allegations, BJP IT Cell Chief Amit Malviya said that Irani was appointed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as the Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS) Goodwill Brand Ambassador from 2002 to 2005 when Congress-led UPA was in power because of her immense popularity as an actress. “At the time, she was a household name due to the immense popularity of the television serial Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi,” he said.
Malviya further emphasised that the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) had endorsed Iran’s campaign and Sheila Dikshit was Delhi’s chief minister at that time. “Sheila Dikshit was the Chief Minister of Delhi then, and Pawan Khera served as her personal assistant, handling trivial tasks like carrying her chappals and suitcase. Matters of actual significance, such as this campaign, were likely above his pay grade at the time,” he added.
In response, Khera blamed the BJP for demonising USAID and Soros to distract people’s attention from the party’s domestic failures.
BJP IT cell coolies are invoking Ms Sheila Dikshit as the one who started the WHO ORS initiative, and thinking they will be able to embarrass us with that. It is something to be proud of.
It is you who first demonise USAID, Soros, global cooperation, and then hide behind the so… pic.twitter.com/HJL03BHe9m
— Pawan Khera 🇮🇳 (@Pawankhera) February 18, 2025
Notably, the BJP had demanded a probe in Elon Musk-led DOGE’s (Department of Government Efficiency) disclosure that USAID contributed $21 million to EC allegedly for boosting voter turnout.
S Y Quraishi, who has served as chief election commissioner (CEC), confirmed that EC had signed an understanding with USAID., but added that the arrangement involved no funding.
“Did USAID provide Rs 5,000 crore to Open Society Foundation run by George Soros to destabilise India? Did USAID and George Soros Foundation give money to Rajiv Gandhi Foundation and Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust or not? I demand that Congress should answer and a govt probe be conducted,” BJP MP Nishikant Dubey had said during the Zero Hour in Lok Sabha.
