Senior lawyer Mahesh Jethmalani has ripped into the Congress and the Gandhi family, saying Sonia Gandhi’s former leadership role in the Forum of Democratic Leaders – a think-tank funded partly by the George Soros Foundation – and the consequent “unholy nexus” with Mr Soros “exposes her to anti-terror charges… in view of (the Forum’s) public advocacy of independence for Kashmir”.

In a long and scathing post on X, Mr Jethmalani also threw his weight behind the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, which has rocked this Parliament session by alleging collusion between Mrs Gandhi and Mr Soros to defame Indian business interests and adversely impact national security.

“Sonia Gandhi’s co-presidency of the Forum of Democratic Leaders (Asia Pacific) not only establishes her links with George Soros, as the Forum is heavily financed by the George Soros Foundation, but also exposes her to grave criminal charges under (anti-terror law) UAPA in view of public advocacy of independence for Kashmir by the Forum,” the ex-Rajya Sabha MP said.

“… the BJP has exposed the unholy Sonia/Soros nexus and the Forum’s sinister objective qua Kashmir… Promotion of secessionism is a grave offence under the UAPA (Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act) and the National Investigation Agency must lodge a FIR.” he also said.

Neither Mrs Gandhi nor the Congress have, so far, responded to Mr Jethmalani’s attack, although the party on Monday thundered, “We are patriots… there is no question of an anti-India stance.”

Soros Links “Ridiculous”: Priyanka Gandhi

Mr Jethmalani also slammed Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who on Tuesday counter-attacked by accusing the BJP of using “the most ridiculous thing” to distract focus from the Congress’ demand – a discussion in Parliament on a United States’ Department of Justice indictment naming Adani Green Energy.

“It is the most ridiculous thing they could come up with. They are talking about some 1994 thing… No one knows what they are talking about. The only reason they are doing this is because they don’t want to discuss the Adani issue… they are scared… because the truth will be revealed,” she told reporters.

Ms Gandhi Vadra wasn’t the only Congress leader to come out swinging. Karti Chidambaram dismissed the allegations, telling NDTV “dark fantasies” should be confined to the “dark web”. “People have dark, morbid fantasies and they can continue to have them (but) there will be no credence given.”

PGV’s Comments “Vacuous”

“Priyanka Vadra’s dismissal of her mother’s links with Soros, in a concerted promotion of Kashmiri separatism, is a vacuous response that reveals a reckless disregard for India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Mr Jethmalani hit back in his post on Wednesday.

Calling other senior Congress leaders for their “silence” – he singled out party spokesperson Jairam Ramesh – he also said the BJP “cannot let the issue rest with the exposure”.

He also attacked the Gandhi family for having “escaped the clutches of the law for too long in corruption cases”, pointing to earlier scam allegations, including the Bofors, Agusta, and National Herald cases.

Congress vs BJP Over Adani, Soros Row

The Congress, led by Rahul Gandhi, made the Adani issue the cornerstone of its gameplan for this Parliament session, a move countered by the BJP flagging a French report on links between the OCCRP, or the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, Mr Soros, and the US government.

The BJP has said the Congress uses OCCRP reports to defame India and its business interests.

Mr Gandhi, meanwhile, is a fierce critic of ties between the Adani Group and the BJP, a subject he raises frequently. The BJP has firmly refuted any improper link to the Gautam Adani-led corporate giant.

The Adani Group, meanwhile, has said billionaire and group head Gautam Adani, his nephew Sagar Adani, and senior executive Vineet Jain are clear of bribery charges from the US indictment, and that the chargesheet fails to offer evidence to back its claim. It also refuted all charges as “baseless”.

On that occasion too Mr Jethmalani had come out swinging, warning the Congress to provide “public evidence of wrongdoing” or risk “behaving like a local agent of a foreign power”.

The row over the Adani issue – the BJP insisting the real story is the Sonia Gandhi-Soros link, and the Congress demanding a discussion on the indictment – has thrown Parliament into a tailspin, prompting adjournments and, this week, a no-confidence motion against Rajya Sabha Chair Jagdeep Dhankhar

.This was prompted by a face-off in the Upper House after Mr Dhankhar allowed BJP MPs to speak on this issue, on-record, but denied notices moved by the opposition to discuss the topics it wanted to.