BJP hits Congress on platform to anti-India voices at Bharat Summit in Hyderabad

The BJP has questioned the Congress over its decision to invite former Ecuador foreign minister Guillaume Long to the Bharat Summit 2026, alleging that the party was giving a platform to people linked to international networks seeking to undermine India's democratic institutions, news agency Press Trust of India reported.Long was reportedly listed as a speaker at the summit in Hyderabad, which is being hosted by the Congress government in Telangana. The Congress has said experts from 70 countries will attend the event to discuss the emergence of a new global order, India's strategic response to developments, cooperative federalism and electoral integrity.In a post on X, BJP national media convenor Ashish Usha Agarwal said, "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 Center in 2021."Agarwal also referred to searches conducted by the Enforcement Directorate at eight premises in Bengaluru in March 2025. The premises were allegedly linked to the Open Society Foundations and its beneficiaries, and the searches were related to suspected violations of the Foreign Exchange Management Act. "By inviting individuals like Guillaume Long, is Rahul Gandhi seeking international backing for an anti-India agenda?" Agarwal asked. He also questioned whether the Congress was 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. What is Congress's objective in providing a platform to such individuals and networks?" Agarwal said, according to PTI. "India's democracy is strengthened by the people's mandate, not by international networks seeking to undermine it," he added. Agarwal used the hashtag #AntiIndiaCongress in his post.In a separate post on X, BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari alleged that the summit's speakers included people with links to networks backed by George Soros and a record of making anti-India statements."Dirty narrative by Congress EXPOSED! Bharat Summit 2026 speakers organized by Congress include individuals with links to George Soros-backed networks and a record of anti-India statements," Bhandari said.Referring to Long, Bhandari described him as a senior diplomatic adviser at The Hague Group and a senior fellow at CEPR, which he claimed had links to funding from the George Soros-backed Open Society. He also named Patrick Gaspard, former president of the Open Society Foundations, among the speakers."Rahul Gandhi wants to bring regime-change operators into India's political discourse while preaching about democracy," Bhandari alleged. He also used the hashtag #AntiIndiaCongress.Congress MP Shashi Tharoor alleged on Friday that 115 of the 315 speakers cleared by the Ministry of External Affairs for the summit were either refused entry to India or had their visas cancelled.Responding to reports that several foreign speakers, including Norwegian journalist Helle Lyng, had their visas revoked or denied ahead of the event, the ministry said on Friday that visa matters were the "sovereign functions" of any government.The BJP has sought answers from the Congress over the summit's guest list, while the Congress has said the event will bring together experts from 70 countries to discuss global developments and India's response.- Ends(With PTI inputs)