ORF, the Observer Research Foundation—an independent global think tank based in Delhi—has recently come under speculation. According to sources, this think tank is exerting influence on India’s foreign relations with several countries and this has irked officials of the Ministry of External Affairs.
Sources allege that ORF has quietly disrupted India’s relations with the United States, France, Russia, and Nepal. The think tank is accused of exploiting communication gaps within sensitive institutions, including the Assam Rifles and the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). Oral complaints have reportedly been lodged with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
The Observer Research Foundation (ORF) was founded in 1990, initially linked to a defunct newspaper project of Reliance Industries. Although ORF’s own literature does not acknowledge these origins, it describes itself as beginning at the “juncture of ideation tempered by pragmatism.” The foundation was created under the guidance of Dhirubhai Ambani and has relied heavily on Reliance Industries Ltd. funding for decades. Despite repeated assertions of independence, ORF remains deeply tied to Reliance financially and operationally, as documented in a 2019 investigative report.
During S. Jaishankar’s tenure as Foreign Secretary, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) expanded its partnerships with private think tanks. ORF became the ministry’s preferred collaborator and was entrusted with hosting the Raisina Dialogue—India's flagship conference on geopolitics and geo-economics. ORF managed most of the event’s costs and logistics, while the MEA provided official backing and partial funding. Since its launch in 2016, the Dialogue has attracted Presidents, Prime Ministers, Senior Military Officials, and Global Power Brokers. This gave ORF unprecedented visibility and allowed the government to showcase itself in a high-profile diplomatic setting.
In May 2019, S. Jaishankar was appointed Minister of External Affairs in the Government of India. By September 2019, his son Dhruva Jaishankar had joined ORF as director of its new U.S. program in Washington, DC. In January 2020, Minister Jaishankar appeared in his official capacity at an ORF event to launch a book co-authored by ORF President Samir Saran. In the same month, both father and son were speakers at the Raisina Dialogue, ORF’s flagship annual geopolitical forum jointly organised with the MEA. Later in 2020, when Jaishankar launched his own book The India Way, ORF hosted an online discussion where he appeared in conversation with Saran. By this time, the clear boundary the Jaishankars had once emphasised was visibly eroding.
Insiders further claim that ORF’s activities extend to the surveillance of politicians and IFS officers. It is also accused of shaping policy through global events in Tokyo, Marseille, and Geneva. ORF is described as functioning like a parallel power structure, creating tension within the government and bureaucracy.
These allegations surface amid intensifying corporate rivalry between Adani and Ambani. They also coincide with reported strains between Minister Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, raising concerns of deeper fractures within India’s power establishment.
After nearly thirty years of influencing policy from behind the scenes, ORF has become an increasingly visible actor in Indian diplomacy. Its flagship Raisina Dialogue and growing presence in the United States underscore this transformation—one in which the Jaishankars now play a central role. [Rh/VP]
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