New Delhi: For the first time, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had accused the US State Department of trying to “destabilise India”, and also claimed that the US “deep state” is working to “target” Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In a sharp response, the US on Saturday rejected the Indian ruling party’s allegation and termed it as “disappointing”.
A US embassy spokesperson made the point that the American government has consistently been a strong advocate for media freedom globally, PTI reported.
“It’s disappointing that the ruling party in India would make these kinds of accusations,” the US official said.
“The US government works with independent organisations on programming that supports professional development and capacity building training for journalists. This programming does not influence the editorial decisions or direction of these organisations,” the US Embassy spokesperson added.
A BJP spokesperson had said that the US deep state was collaborating with media portal OCCRP (Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project) and Rahul Gandhi to harm India’s image, pointing to the Congress leader’s use of OCCRP reports to criticise the Adani Group and accuse it of having ties with the government.
“The US government works with independent organisations on programming that supports professional development and capacity building training for journalists. This programming does not influence the editorial decisions or direction of these organisations,” the US official said.
“The United States has long been a champion of media freedom around the world. A free and independent press is an essential component of any democracy, enabling informed and constructive debate and holding those in power accountable,” the US embassy official added.
