The BJP on Tuesday tried to drag the Congress into the NewsClick controversy, appearing to insinuate a link between the party, the news portal and China, a country with which India continues to have robust diplomatic and business ties.

The innuendo by the BJP — in the form of a picture on its official X handle —
came even though the police investigation into the case, in which NewsClick is accused of receiving Chinese funds to carry out an anti-India agenda, is still under way.

The picture showed two overlapping circles with an image of China’s flag in the middle, flanked by the Congress election symbol — the hand — and the NewsClick logo. The headline said “The China Connection”, while the BJP also added a sly label: “Chinese
Gandhi”.

The effort to link the Congress with China comes at a time Prime Minister Narendra Modi continues to engage with Chinese President Xi Jinping at international forums.

Modi also continues to maintain silence on China’s occupation of large parts of Indian territory since May 2020. He continues to avoid naming China while referring to outside threats.

Addressing a poll rally in Chhattisgarh on Tuesday, Modi accused the Congress of entering into a “secret pact” with a foreign country to speak out against national interests, but did not take names.

While the BJP refrained from making any official statement on the raids, party social media head Amit Malviya reposted the post.