June 25, 1998 

Embassy of India's response to an article in the India Abroad
 

The Embassy's attention has been drawn to an article in the June 26, 1998 issue of India Abroad, headlined "Red faces over Government lobbyist's aid to India basher", written by its reporter Aziz Haniffa. 

Allegations contained in the article about the Embassy's "displeasure" with its lobbyist,' Mr. David Springer, are completely false and baseless. Equally untrue is the imputation that at dinners organised for visiting ministers, representatives of the lobby firms have been invited in the past. This petty insinuation is also without any basis. 

The Embassy of India has full confidence in the experience and abilities of Mr. Springer and his firm, the Washington Group, which is why he has been regularly representing the Embassy for over four years. 

The concoctions in the article, attributed to conveniently anonymous sources, bring in question the motivation of the reporter, as well as the newspaper. 

Ordinarily, the Embassy would have overlooked such a report as one of no consequence, but in this particular case all journalistic ethics have been ignored in that libellous references have been made to an Hon'ble member of the US Congress, which are equally false and baseless. 

The two firms working for the Indian Embassy have been selected through the prescribed procedure on a careful evaluation of all relevant factors. 

The allegations in the article are not only baseless but appear to be motivated and part of a vilification campaign in the way they are being repeated by this particular correspondent on a regular basis in India Abroad and on it's News Service.