The recent emergence of purported email correspondence between NewsClick Editor-in-chief Prabir Purkayastha and ThoughtWorks founder Neville Roy Singham reveals that the two were in discussions to show China in a positive light as regards its handling of the coronavirus crisis vis-a-vis India and the United States.
The email exchanges dated March 30, 2020, on China’s handling of COVID-19 between Prabir and Singham were shared by Zee News journalist Sudhir Chaudhary, days after New York Times investigation said that Singham was using its network of nonprofits and media organisations spread across the world to propagate Chinese propaganda.
In the email exchanges shared by Sudhir Chaudhary, Roy is seen introducing the NewsClick team to the Chinese handlers based out of China to provide information that would help them in showing China in a positive light in handling the coronavirus outbreak.
Among Indians introduced by Neville Roy Singham to his larger team, who worked with Tricontinental, one of the nonprofits that the New York Times said was involved in pushing Chinese talking points, were Prabir Purkayastha, Srujana, Prasanth, and Vijay Prashad.
Apparently, Vijay Prashad is the same man who is one of the contributors at People’s Dispatch and the Executive Director at Neville Roy Singham’s Tricontinental. Prashad also has close ties with Urban Naxal P Sainath, whose propaganda portal PARI recently removed references to Singham after his connection with the Chinese propaganda arm had come to the arm. Prashad is nephew of CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat, wife of Prakash Karat.
In his email, Singham clearly highlights how he intends to leverage his network to push a positive image of China in dealing with COVID-19.
“We are working together on a three-part series of articles on China and the handling of the coronavirus They will be originally syndicated by Globetrotter. Then all three will be assembled into a TriContinental publication. The first is almost done (final editing by Globetrotter),” Singham wrote in an email addressed to his team based out of China, the United States and the NewsClick team in India.
Like a loyal footsoldier, the Editor-in-chief of NewsClick, Prabir Purkayastha, seeks more information, including the number of tests conducted and the number of people who turned positive, to help Singham and Tricontinental in their attempt to propagate narrative that favoured China and to draw a contrast with countries like the United States and India, which he claimed were unable to ramp up kit production and equipment procurement despite having a larger lead time.
NewsClick Editor-in-Chief Prabir Purkayastha discussed how to report the India-China dispute with Neville Roy Singham, purported email exchanges reveal
Earlier, it was reported that Purkayastha was also in touch with Neville Roy Singham to discuss how to report the India-China border dispute.
Reportedly, on the 6th of January, 2021 at 5:09 PM, Singham sent an email to many individuals in which Newsclick Editor-in-Chief Prabir Purkayastha was one among those many receivers.
One of the purported emails read, “I think we missed the dotted line between India and China to the (left of Bhutan)”, while seemingly discussing issues about the India-China border dispute. It adds, “Clearly China and India will have to have two maps inside their countries.”
Along with an attached controversial map that peddles the Chinese agenda, the email goes on to say, “Here is a map from Diplomat where China claims Arunachal Pradesh.”
The purported email exchanges were seemingly a part of Chinese dictation to leftist media portals in the likes of Newsclick to parrot the Chinese line, irrespective of the fact that it violates and impinges on national interest or goes against our stated sovereign boundaries.
The allegation against Newsclick of peddling a Chinese narrative at the behest of US millionaire Neville Roy Singham stems from the fact that there is a transactional history between Newsclick and several organisations linked with Singham. It is alleged that Newsclick clandestinely received huge tranches of money from Singham who is doing the bidding for CCP throughout the world in lieu of money from the Xi Jinping regime.
Enforcement Directorate says NewsClick received funds from US-based companies worth crores
The investigation conducted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) unveiled that an overseas fund amounting to Rs. 38.05 crores was deceitfully injected into NewsClick over a span of three years.
The received funds purportedly found their way to numerous contentious journalists, among them Gautam Navlakha and individuals associated with Teesta Setalvad.
Under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted a thorough search at the premises of PPK Newsclick Studio, its affiliated entities, as well as the directors and shareholders (consisting of ten entities) situated in the Delhi National Capital Region (NCR).
Throughout the course of the search, foreign currency, documents indicating wrongdoing, and digital proof were confiscated.
Upon meticulous examination of the gathered evidence, it was uncovered that there were dubious transactions involving foreign inward remittances. Specifically, Rs. 9.59 crore was introduced through Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), and an additional Rs. 28.46 crore was purportedly generated through the export of services.
The ED Investigation brought to light that Prabir Purkayastha, the Director of Newsclick, had been acquainted with Neville Roy Singham of Worldwide Media Holdings LLC (Limited Liability Company) since 2017.
During the questioning, Prabir allegedly stated that he had no knowledge about Navielle’s company.
Based on the digital evidence seized, it was revealed that Prabir, in collaboration with Neville Roy Singham, who is reportedly linked to the Communist Party of China (CPC), had orchestrated a complex scheme.
To elaborate, the allegations suggest that Prabir Purkayastha and his associates, in an effort to secure a fund of Rs. 9.59 crores from a Chinese entity with significant emphasis, established a legal façade of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).
Furthermore, it is claimed that Neville Roy Singham had earlier transferred funds to Prabir under the pretext of consultancy fees, ostensibly to propagate a “leftist ideology”.
Both Prabir Purkayastha and the personnel at Newsclick Studio have been unable to provide a satisfactory explanation for the receipt of Rs. 28.46 crore from foreign sources.