Who is Neville Roy Singham? Inside India’s 'regime change' allegations and BJP’s claims

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey has announced a press conference in Dumka, Jharkhand, to outline what he describes as a network involving Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Singham, Bitcoin and cryptocurrency, online gambling and a wider political movement.

BJP leaders have alleged that international groups are coordinating political messaging and protests in different countries, including India.

The allegations outlined so far do not establish that the Congress or its leaders participated in any alleged conspiracy.

The claims linking Rahul Gandhi to Singham, cryptocurrency and online gambling remain allegations raised by BJP leaders and would require independent evidence to substantiate them.

Who is Neville Roy Singham?

Singham is an American-born technology entrepreneur who founded the software consultancy ThoughtWorks in the late 1980s.

He built the company into a major technology business before selling it to private equity firm Apax Partners in 2017 in a transaction reportedly valued at more than $785 million.

After the sale, Singham became associated with funding organisations involved in political advocacy, journalism, research and activism.

These relationships attracted international attention, particularly after reports examined the scale and structure of the funding provided to groups promoting left-wing political causes.

Tech mogul Neville Roy Singham. Photo: Thoughtworks

Singham later established his base in Shanghai, China.

His location, alongside the organisations he has supported and their political activities, has fuelled scrutiny in the United States and India over the nature of his network and its potential connections with Beijing.

Singham has rejected allegations that he works for the Chinese government or takes instructions from the Communist Party of China.

The existence of funding relationships with political or media organisations does not, on its own, establish that their activities are controlled by a foreign government.

Singham’s name became prominent in Indian public debate in 2023 following reports about alleged financial links between him and NewsClick, a digital news platform founded by Prabir Purkayastha.

However, the investigation into NewsClick and the latest BJP allegations about cryptocurrency, online gambling and political mobilisation are distinct matters.

Fox News probe points to global protest network

A Fox News investigation by journalist Asra Nomani has alleged that a transnational network of communist and socialist organisations, labour unions, student groups, advocacy bodies and media outlets is coordinating, organising or amplifying protests across Europe and other parts of the world, including India.

Titled ‘Global Chaos Inc Grows to 101 Groups With Plans for New Rounds of Demonstrations’, the investigation identifies 101 organisations across nine countries, including the United States, which it says form part of an expanding protest ecosystem.

According to Nomani, only 33 of these groups, roughly one-third, are led by students or young people, while most are adult-led organisations.

The report describes the network as a convergence of far-left and socialist groups with Islamist organisations, which it characterises as a “red-green” alliance.

It says the mobilisation, initially driven by education-related grievances, has expanded to encompass wider political issues, including capitalism, austerity, policing, military spending and Israel.

According to the investigation, the network extends beyond France to countries including the United Kingdom, Greece, Brazil, the United States and India.

The organisations allegedly mobilise supporters, call for strikes and use international media platforms to amplify demonstrations.

These are findings and characterisations presented in the Fox News investigation, rather than independently established proof that every organisation operates under a coordinated command structure.

India recently witnessed Cockroach Janata Party (CJP)-led protests in Delhi and other parts of the country. Photo: Instagram/@cockroachjantaparty

Indian and French protests: Alleged links in messaging

Nomani’s investigation identifies Indian Alliance Paris (IAP), a France-based collective of students, researchers and professionals, as one of the groups connecting protest-related messaging in France and India.

The organisation describes itself on X as a collective committed to a democratic and egalitarian vision of India.

The report says IAP has promoted demonstrations in France while drawing comparisons with protests in India. Its social media activity includes an October 7 post addressed to young demonstrators that stated: “To Gen Z: In France. In India. Bravo for today.”

The investigation also highlights Progressive International, a transnational political organisation that has expressed support for demonstrations in France, Spain, India and Albania.

In an October 12 post on X, the organisation said it was reporting from Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, where protesters were opposing electoral roll revisions.

“We write from the barricades of Jantar Mantar, where the Government of India has deployed armed forces against citizens protesting mass disenfranchisement and defending their right to vote,” Progressive International stated.

Nomani’s report presents these examples as evidence of overlapping messaging and solidarity between protest movements in different countries.

However, similar statements of support or comparisons between demonstrations do not, on their own, establish that the protests are centrally organised by a single network.

Neville Roy Singham and media amplification

The Fox News investigation also examines the role of American-born technology entrepreneur Neville Roy Singham, who is based in Shanghai, and his links to media organisations covering protests in France and India.

According to Nomani, Singham has amplified demonstrations in both countries through BreakThrough News, a media outlet associated with funding from him.

The platform has extensively covered protests in France and India, while its social media output has also featured demonstrations in several other countries.

In an October 14 interview with BreakThrough News, Singham’s wife, Jodie Evans, urged people to draw comparisons between international protest movements.

“I want people to look at France, Spain, and India and just say, ‘Where are we? Why are we not in the streets?’” she said.

BreakThrough News also published an Instagram montage featuring footage from the United States, Spain, India, France, Brazil, Belgium, Chile and Germany.

The clips showed young demonstrators, communist flags, confrontations with police and crowds in the streets, under the headline: “Youth rise around the world.”

The report further refers to Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, led by academic Vijay Prashad, and its connections to the broader activist landscape.

In an October 18 post on X, Prashad drew parallels between demonstrations in Paris, New Delhi and Buenos Aires, writing: “Paris-New Delhi-Buenos Aires” and adding, “Let fury have the hour, anger can be power.”

Nomani cites these posts, media coverage and organisational links as examples of how protest-related narratives may travel across borders and reach wider audiences.

The investigation’s central argument is that a network of advocacy groups, political organisations and media platforms is helping connect and amplify demonstrations internationally.

France, Italy, Spain to Albania: Violent clashes burn Europe. Photos: Screen grab from X

Organisations linked through funding

Singham has been associated through funding relationships with organisations including The People’s Forum, BreakThrough News and Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research.

Their work spans political advocacy, media production and research.

The funding relationships have attracted scrutiny from US lawmakers seeking information about the organisations’ finances, activities and institutional connections.

In October 2026, the US House Ways and Means Committee renewed demands for documents from three organisations associated with Singham following subpoenas issued earlier in the year.

Such scrutiny reflects continuing questions in the United States about the transparency of political advocacy funding and the relationships between donors and organisations engaged in public debate.

It does not, by itself, establish that the organisations have committed wrongdoing.

Protests and political tensions

The allegations against Singham have resurfaced amid disputes between the BJP and Congress over electoral rolls, public demonstrations and claims of political unrest.

BJP leaders have sought to connect these issues to international activist networks, while the Congress has maintained its right to oppose the government through democratic means.

On October 20, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat addressed the organisation’s centenary Vijayadashami event in Nagpur.

He said protests over social issues were natural but emphasised that demonstrators, authorities and political leaders must respect the Constitution, the law and standards of civility.

“If a protest has a different underlying purpose, it becomes political… protests can deepen hostility and be exploited by forces opposed to the country,” Bhagwat said.

His comments came amid reports of unrest in Albania, where demonstrators demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama, and clashes reportedly involved attacks on government buildings.

Al Jazeera reported on October 18 that the protests had entered their sixth day, with 272 people, including 169 police officers, injured.

Rama rejected calls to resign and blamed a “foreign hand” for the unrest, while saying his government was prepared to address protesters’ demands concerning education and unemployment.

The developments have fed into the wider political debate over whether external actors can influence or amplify domestic protests.