‘Explain hidden agenda’: BJP questions Congress on inviting ‘India baiters’ to Hyderabad summit

New Delhi: The BJP on Saturday questioned the Congress party’s “hidden agenda” behind its now-foiled attempt to invite alleged “India baiters” to a two-day Bharat Summit 2026 that ended in Hyderabad during the day.

Rajya Sabha MP and BJP National Spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi hit out at the Congress-led Telangana government for seeking to provide a platform to people like Ecuador’s former minister Guillaume Long, who reportedly received $420,000 in 2021 from American investor George Soros-backed Open Society Policy Centre.

“Congress and Rahul Gandhi have to answer the nation! Is Bharat Summit 2026 in Hyderabad a platform for dialogue or an attempt to provide another international platform to take up anti-India narratives?” asked Trivedi amid allegations by the Congress that nearly 115 out of 315 speakers invited to the event were denied visas by the Centre

The BJP MP accused the Congress of attempting to seek international backing for an “anti-India” agenda under the garb of the Summit, demanding answers for the grand old party’s visible love for India baiters.

Trivedi asked, “Why is Congress bringing such individuals and international networks onto its political platform? This creates deep suspicion about a larger agenda?”

“So, the onus of an unequivocal answer is on Congress,” he said, reacting to Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s criticism of the Centre’s decision to deny permission to some of the event invitees from reaching the country.

Sharing details of suspicious activities of some of the banned invitees, Trivedi wrote on X, “As per information in the public domain, CEPR, associated with Guillaume Long, reportedly received $420,000 in 2021 from George Soros-backed Open Society Policy Centre.”

“Salil Shetty, former Secretary General of Amnesty International, made serious allegations against the Indian government over Kashmir in a 2019 Harvard interview,” he said.

“In March 2025, the ED conducted searches at eight Bengaluru premises linked to Open Society Foundations in connection with alleged FEMA violations,” he said.

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