Opposition opposes proposed FCRA Amendment Bill, alleges NGO crackdown

Opposition parties criticised the Centre's proposed FCRA Amendment Bill, alleging it would restrict NGOs and civil society organisations. While several leaders opposed the move, YSRCP MP Golla Babu Rao supported stronger monitoring of foreign funds while allowing genuine donations

New Delhi: The Opposition parties on Saturday strongly protested against the Centre’s likely introduction of the ‘Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act Amendment (FCRA) Bill’ next week during the ongoing Monsoon Session of the Parliament, claiming that it will “cripple” the functioning of the NGOs.

According to sources, the Bill is likely to be introduced in the Lok Sabha.

---

Speaking to IANS, CPI National General Secretary, D. Raja said: “There are serious apprehensions. Many NGOs and civil society organisations have expressed serious concerns that their work will suffer and that their functioning will be crippled. That is what the government is trying to do.”

“Let us see what the Bill and the response of the government are going to be,” he said.

CPI(M) MP V Sivadasan also alleged that the FCRI Bill is targeting the old NGOs that are working for the people.

“They (Centre) are attempting to protect the interests of only the RSS. Thousands of RSS organisations are getting crores of rupees through different manners but the government wants to control all other organisations that are standing against its anti-people policies or those who are raising voice against this government’s anti-national activities. That is why they are introducing this Bill,” he told IANS.

Further, Sivadasan mentioned that the CPI(M) will take the initiative to bring all the Opposition parties together against this Bill.

NCP-SP national spokesperson Naseem Siddiqui made similar allegations, saying that the aim behind tabling of the FCRA Bill is that the Centre “wants to control the charity works being done by the Christian and Muslim communities in the country”.

“We are against the Bill, because the money is being spent for the development of the nation, including education. If members of the Muslim community get money from abroad to spent on education of children here, then the government should not have an objection to it,” he added.

While maintaining that there should not be a problem in accepting genuine foreign funds, YSRCP MP Golla Babu Rao opined that a centralised agency will be useful to check that such funds aren’t misused.

“I think the BJP-led government has some apprehensions that these funds will be misused in the country and may be sent with malafide intentions. But belonging from a humble family and being an educated person, I feel there is nothing wrong in accepting funds from abroad though at the same time there should be a centralised agency that can check that the funds are not misused,” he told IANS.

“However, funds meant for genuine purposes should be invited,” he added.