The Enforcement Directorate<\/a> on Tuesday searched the offices of George Soros<\/a>‘ foundation, the\u00a0Open Soros Foundation<\/a>, and non-governmental organisations linked to the OSF, including Amnesty<\/a>. Officials said the searches are linked to an ongoing FEMA, or Foreign Exchange Management Act, case.<\/p>\n Premised of former employees of Amnesty International (whose India operations shut down in December 2020, after the government froze its bank accounts<\/a> alleging illegal foreign funding) were searched, as were those of current employees of Human Rights Watch, or HRW.<\/p>\n Amnesty’s India office and HRW both reportedly received funds from the OSF in the past. The former has been charge-sheeted by the CBI and the ED has filed a complaint against the latter.<\/p>\n In 2022 Amnesty’s India chief, Aakar Patel was fined Rs 10 crore (and the NGO itself Rs 51.72 crore) for contravening the foreign exchange law, or the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act.<\/p>\n The OSF, which began its India ops in 1999, has not yet responded.<\/p>\n In 2016 the Union Home Ministry put the foundation on a ‘watchlist’ – meaning it now requires government approval to fund Indian NGOs – amid alleged violation of foreign exchange laws.<\/p>\n The move was later challenged in the Delhi High Court, where the plea is pending.<\/p>\n Organisations linked to, or funded, by George Soros – a Hungarian-American billionaire philanthropist – have been accused by the ruling BJP of acting against India’s interests.<\/p>\n The BJP has repeatedly claimed that foundations and think tanks that receive funding from the OSF, including the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, or OCCRP, produce “anti-India” reports and narratives. These, the party has declared, are then picked up and amplified by the Congress to criticise the union government and “defame” the country.<\/p>\n The allegations exploded in December after the BJP and Congress chiefs, JP Nadda and Mallikarjun Kharge, faced off over fresh accusations – this time over ‘links’ between Sonia Gandhi and the Soros-funded Forum of the Democratic Leaders in Asia Pacific Foundation.<\/p>\n READ |\u00a0<\/strong>JP Nadda vs M Kharge Over Soros-Sonia Gandhi Link Claims<\/a><\/p>\n Mrs Gandhi is the co-President of the forum.<\/p>\n The allegations came a week after the BJP called Rahul Gandhi a “traitor” and said Mr Soros, “some American agencies” (which also funded the OCCRP) and he were trying to destabilise India.<\/p>\n This sparked a furious political row, including unprecedented calls to charge Sonia Gandhi under anti-terror laws<\/a> and also a failed move to impeach Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar<\/a>.<\/p>\nBJP’s George Soros Attacks<\/h3>\n