'Anti-India Toolkit' Backed By Soros-Linked Groups Influencing Team Trump: Intel Sources | Exclusive

Last Updated:September 01, 2025, 16:10 IST

Sources said the toolkit has contributed to growing negative perceptions of India in US policymaking circles, an instance of which was seen in Peter Navarro's recent statements

Despite strong strategic ties earlier, Trump’s team is now reportedly under pressure from both media optics and internal advisers influenced by the toolkit’s outputs. (PTI)

Indian intelligence agencies have raised concerns over what they describe as a coordinated “anti-India toolkit" campaign, which they allege is influencing US President Donald Trump’s inner circle through a combination of foreign funding, diaspora activism, and media narratives. CNN-News18 has learnt that the campaign, reportedly backed by organisations linked to billionaire financier George Soros, is said to be targeting India’s global image and strategic partnerships, particularly with the United States.

Sources said the toolkit operates through a pattern involving the routing of funds from foreign entities to Indian NGOs and consultancy firms, which then create issue-specific narrative campaigns. These narratives are amplified through media outlets, diaspora networks, and international think tanks, eventually influencing public opinion and policy discussions in the US and Europe.

The sources told CNN-News18 that the toolkit has contributed to growing negative perceptions of India in US policymaking circles, an instance of which was seen in the recent statements by Trump’s trade adviser Peter Navarro, who accused “Indian Brahmins" of profiteering from India’s trade with Russia and criticised India’s oil policies. Navarro’s remarks, referencing caste dynamics, have been linked to the broader toolkit narrative, allegedly designed to create social divisions and cast India as an unreliable partner.

Enforcement agencies, including the Enforcement Directorate (ED), have identified financial trails linking Soros-backed entities—namely the Open Society Foundations (OSF) and the South Asia Equity Development Fund (SEDF)—to Indian organisations. In 2023, Soros-linked global funding reportedly crossed $1.7 billion, with India named as a “prime target".

CNN-News18 has learnt that between 2023 and 2025, ED investigations uncovered over Rs 300 crore allegedly routed via Mauritius-based Aspada and Indian advisory firms to “social-impact" start-ups and consultancies. Direct funding of Rs 25 crore from SEDF was also traced to Indian entities, including Rootbridge Services, Rootbridge Academy, and ASAR, labelled as consultancies but now under probe for foreign funding violations.

A March 2025 ED raid in Bengaluru further revealed $2.9 million entering India through similar routes, now flagged for FEMA and FCRA violations.

According to sources, the toolkit’s structure follows a clear sequence:

Funding is sent from overseas donors (often via tax havens or FDI routes)

Narrative content is created through NGOs or consultancies

Media amplification occurs via global outlets like ProPublica, The Intercept, Al Jazeera, and sections of The Washington Post and New York Times

Diaspora organisations like IAMC, Justice for All, and Hindus for Human Rights lobby U.S. Congress and conduct hearings on Indian policies

These narratives feed into State Department reports, think tank papers, and eventually United Nations and European Union forums.

Agencies say the model has previously been observed in global reactions to issues such as the Kashmir lockdown, CAA-NRC, farmers’ protests, minority rights, press freedom, and now, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bihar’s voter rolls.

Sources believe that repeated exposure to these narratives is shaping Trump’s position on India. Despite strong strategic ties earlier, Trump’s team is now reportedly under pressure from both media optics and internal advisers influenced by the toolkit’s outputs.

Media narratives portraying India as a socially unstable or authoritarian state—through false viral videos of protests and unrest—are reportedly contributing to perceptions of India as a “high-risk partner" in US policy circles.

Sources say the ultimate objective of the toolkit campaigns is to delegitimise India’s democratic credentials, constrain its foreign policy independence, especially regarding Russia and China, and damage India’s global standing through sustained narrative pressure.

News india 'Anti-India Toolkit' Backed By Soros-Linked Groups Influencing Team Trump: Intel Sources | Exclusive

Read More