BJP deems Soros enemy, yet his fund backed Puri daughter's hedge firm
Source: newslaundry.com
TL;DR
- Soros-BJP Tension: Newslaundry reports BJP labels George Soros an enemy of India amid raids on his funded groups.[[1]](https://www.newslaundry.com/2026/04/20/bjp-calls-soros-indias-enemy-hardeep-puris-daughter-managed-200-million-for-him)
- $200M Allocation: Soros Fund Management selected hedge fund co-founded by Hardeep Singh Puri's daughter Himayani Puri to manage $200 million.[[1]](https://www.newslaundry.com/2026/04/20/bjp-calls-soros-indias-enemy-hardeep-puris-daughter-managed-200-million-for-him)[[2]](https://www.facebook.com/newslaundry/posts/the-bjp-has-spent-years-calling-george-soros-an-enemy-of-indiabut-soross-fund-ha/1400600632107874)
- Undisclosed Link: Connection from around late 2009 predates BJP's campaign and was never publicly disclosed by Puri or party.[[3]](https://www.instagram.com/p/DXV5BWZjyFo)
The story at a glance
Newslaundry's investigative report by Astha Savyasachi highlights a past financial tie between George Soros's fund and a hedge fund co-founded by Himayani Puri, daughter of Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, contrasting it with BJP's portrayal of Soros as a threat.[[1]](https://www.newslaundry.com/2026/04/20/bjp-calls-soros-indias-enemy-hardeep-puris-daughter-managed-200-million-for-him) The story draws from US corporate filings, SEC documents, and Cayman Islands records showing Soros Fund Management LLC allocated about $200 million (over Rs 1,867 crore today) to her firm around December 2009.[[1]](https://www.newslaundry.com/2026/04/20/bjp-calls-soros-indias-enemy-hardeep-puris-daughter-managed-200-million-for-him) It surfaces now amid ongoing political rhetoric against Soros funding in India.
Key points
- BJP leaders have repeatedly called Soros an "enemy of India" and "economic war criminal," protested in Parliament linking him to Congress, and raided groups funded by his Open Society Foundations (OSF).[[1]](https://www.newslaundry.com/2026/04/20/bjp-calls-soros-indias-enemy-hardeep-puris-daughter-managed-200-million-for-him)
- Soros Fund Management LLC, OSF's main asset manager, picked Realm Partners LLC, a New York hedge fund co-founded by Himayani Puri, to handle $200 million of its portfolio.[[1]](https://www.newslaundry.com/2026/04/20/bjp-calls-soros-indias-enemy-hardeep-puris-daughter-managed-200-million-for-him)
- Allocation followed a October 2009 New York dinner where Hardeep Singh Puri says he met Soros once; invite list was set by then-minister Shashi Tharoor, who disputes Puri's account.[[1]](https://www.newslaundry.com/2026/04/20/bjp-calls-soros-indias-enemy-hardeep-puris-daughter-managed-200-million-for-him)
- Neither Hardeep Singh Puri, his daughter, nor BJP has publicly mentioned this connection, which occurred years before BJP's anti-Soros stance intensified.[[3]](https://www.instagram.com/p/DXV5BWZjyFo)
Details and context
The report relies on public US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings and Cayman Islands Registry records for its core claim, noting the allocation happened well before BJP came to power in 2014 or ramped up criticism of Soros.[[1]](https://www.newslaundry.com/2026/04/20/bjp-calls-soros-indias-enemy-hardeep-puris-daughter-managed-200-million-for-him)
Hardeep Singh Puri, a BJP Rajya Sabha MP and minister since 2019, has denied close ties to Soros beyond that single dinner.[[1]](https://www.newslaundry.com/2026/04/20/bjp-calls-soros-indias-enemy-hardeep-puris-daughter-managed-200-million-for-him) Himayani Puri's hedge fund role appears professional, with no evidence in the report of ongoing involvement or direct family benefit stated.
Separate opposition claims link Puri's family to Jeffrey Epstein, prompting a Rs 10 crore defamation suit by Himayani Puri, but these are unconnected to the Soros finding.[[4]](https://www.facebook.com/ZeeNewsEnglish/posts/10-crore-defamation-suit-filed-by-daughter-of-hardeep-singh-puri-over-jeffrey-ep/1380548724112589)
Key quotes
- Hardeep Singh Puri: "The only time he met George Soros was at a dinner in October 2009 in New York – a dinner whose list of invitees he said was decided by then-Minister Shashi Tharoor."[[1]](https://www.newslaundry.com/2026/04/20/bjp-calls-soros-indias-enemy-hardeep-puris-daughter-managed-200-million-for-him)
Why it matters
BJP's strong anti-Soros narrative shapes public views on foreign influence, making undisclosed past ties with a minister's family a point of political hypocrisy.
For observers and voters, it underscores selective scrutiny of funding links in India politics without proven wrongdoing.
Watch for responses from Puri, BJP, or opposition, though no investigations are confirmed yet.