We have seen how the Congress and the Left have been manipulating the system for their own aspiration – one to facilitate corruption and the other to establish ideological hegemony. I have also tried to explain how the two have joined hands due to the fear of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and what would happen if he got a third term.
The biggest support to the Congress ecosystem has come from the NGOs that have been at the receiving end because of the Modi government’s efforts to ensure transparency and accountability of these organisations. More than 20,000 NGOs have been deregistered, including Amnesty and Greenpeace, for refusing to meet compliance as per the law of the land.
Even if we conclude that one NGO would employ at least five persons, this would create a formidable force if these NGOs are funded by foreign donors who want to manipulate the Indian system for their own benefit. At a time when India is being lauded for its robust democratic institution and the rule of law, many countries are increasingly realising that it is much safer to do business in India and run their operations from here than the uncertain future in China or other countries that thrive on the dictatorship of various kinds based on ideology or military strength.
Vested interests will try to show India as a land of conflict and they will use all assets including gullible politicians, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and media to show India in a bad light. No less than the then Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, who had criticised foreign-backed NGOs for “stalling the use of genetic engineering in agriculture and leading protests against the Kudankulam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu”.
India faced a similar situation in 2020-21 when farmers started agitating against the three farm laws without showing any keenness to discuss the merits or otherwise of the issue. The government showed maturity and withdrew the legislation in the interest of national security and national integration, but it is still inexplicable to understand why environmentalist Greta Thunberg and pop singer Rihanna tweeted support in favour of farmers’ agitation. They acted as paid assassins and became a part of the toolkit in the hands of anti-India groups. Prime Minister Modi rightly said that there was an international conspiracy to defame India.
These NGOs theoretically serve the important function of taking the government’s policies to the last person and giving feedback to make the system more transparent. At times they act as advocacy groups for the poor and the downtrodden to bring the government to account. But there are many vested interests that work under the guise of these NGOs and encourage subversive activities to jeopardise India’s sovereignty.
All these NGOs funded by foreign donors are governed by the FCRA (Foreign Currency Regulation Act). Since this involves foreign exchange, a meticulous record needs to be kept to keep track of whether the money is clean and coming from known sources or through the Hawala route or funded by questionable organisations. Also, a record needs to be maintained of the purpose of the money so that a track can be maintained whether expenditure was incurred as per the mandate of the donor.
Foreign funding is subjected to revelation about the source of funding and the way the expenses are made. This is to ensure that the funds are not misused. Many NGOs acting as umbrella NGOs would patronise smaller NGOs through liberal funding and get them to come on the streets when the time comes to oppose certain interests and push forward their own interest. This had become the standard practice by most of these NGOs. Many times, gullible people who come on the streets are not even aware of what they are protesting for.
The new FCRA Act that came into effect on September 29, 2020, debars a person of the following category from accepting foreign funding: election candidates, editor or publisher of a newspaper, judges, government servants, members of any legislature and political parties and public servants. Another provision of the new Act forbids the recipient of foreign funds to transfer it to another entity. Another provision of the Act has brought administrative expense from 50 per cent to 20 per cent. And an FCRA account can be opened only with the SBI. These provisions of the new Act have tried to make the NGO regime under the FCRA more transparent and accountable.
These NGOs fund foreign trips of leading intellectuals (mostly Leftists) to create an ecosystem. Some of the prominent voices against the Modi government heard on television debates or read in the columns of various newspapers are of those who were regular beneficiaries of the largesse of these NGOs. Let us not forget that these NGOs had enlisted the support of Indian parliamentarians to write to Barack Obama not to give visa to Modi. 65 parliamentarians had written a letter to Obama in 2012 asking him to continue the policy of no visa to Modi. These NGOs have been actively involved in painting Modi in a bad light.
The direct attack on a generation of black money was the decision to close more than four lakh companies that were being used as shell companies and were being operated to generate cash. More than three lakh directors have been disqualified from being directors again for their failure to maintain compliance and involvement in various other activities.
All those people who have suffered due to this cannot believe that the country is on the path of course correction where honest taxpayers would be rewarded and those who try to subvert the system would be punished. They are influential people and most of them form a part of the elite. Modi has disturbed their equilibrium with the system.
The writer is the convener of the media relations department of the BJP and represents the party as a spokesperson on TV debates. He has authored the book ‘Narendra Modi: The Game Changer’. The above article is an exited extract from the author’s new book, ‘Transforming India: Game Changer in Action’. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18’s views.
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