Washington, Oct 16: American singer Mary Millben has named billionaire George Soros as the funder of protests in India, escalating her online clash with Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke in a video message addressed to young Indians.
Answering what she called “the last question that I’ve been asked a lot, who’s funding these protests in India?”, Millben said: “It’s the same person or same group of people, certainly coming from America that’s funding a lot of these protests across the world, particularly when you have a conservative leader at the top of the ticket or running the government. The name is George Soros and that whole machine of people are constantly funding a lot of these protests and chaos that’s breaking out across the world.”
“It’s no secret,” she said, adding that Dipke “posted on his social media that George Soros was his funder, was giving him money to, you know, do all of his craziness in India.” She offered no evidence for the claim.
The video goes beyond her posts on X on Wednesday, when she alleged that the CJP was being funded by “select donors” from the United States, without naming Dipke or any donor.
Speaking directly to Dipke, a Boston University graduate, Millben said: “I’m gonna speak right to you, Dipke. If you were to take that talent, the ability to assemble people, the ability to use your voice, if you were to take that talent and use it for good, then you would, and you will be a force in India.”
She urged him to “go sit down with the prime minister and the leadership of India” and share his views “constructively”, adding: “You will not be remembered when this protest season is over.”
Millben also named Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. “Rahul Gandhi and this young man, Dipke, do not carry the type of character or leadership that wants to work across the aisle, meaning work with the prime minister and the current government, and they are not bringing any kind of unity in the country with their protesting,” she said, adding that they were “not presenting any solutions.” The protests in India, she said, “carry no real substance.”
Contrasting the protests with the American civil rights movement, she likened them to Antifa, Black Lives Matter and the protests over the removal of monuments in the United States. She praised Martin Luther King Jr. for peaceful protest that led to the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act.
“He was not at all interested in leading a movement of chaos or destruction or confusion. He was very clear about what needed to happen in America, and he peacefully protested,” she said.
Millben called Prime Minister Narendra Modi “one of the best leaders in the world,” citing his “25 years in public office, 12 years as prime minister, three consecutive terms,” and rejected allegations of election fraud: “That’s not election fraud, folks. That’s the power of the people who believe in a leader.”
“The election commissioner’s not going anywhere, that’s obvious. Prime Minister Modi is not going anywhere. If anything, he’ll be re-elected in 2029,” she said, predicting that the opposition movement “will be short-lived.” The CJP and opposition parties have been protesting in Delhi to demand the Chief Election Commissioner’s removal over alleged electoral roll tampering and the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise.
“It’s my hope to get over to India soon because I wanna see all of you and encourage you and inspire you to keep using your voices for good,” Millben said, without giving dates.
“Young patriots, rise up and use your voice. Assemble and protest peacefully. There shall always, there should always be a counter movement to movements of chaos and destruction, and that counter movement is one of peace. It’s one of unity,” she said.
Millben, known for her patriotic performances, sang India’s national anthem at an event during PM Modi’s 2023 US visit.
--IANS