New Delhi: Days after the US hit out at Modi government over its action against two international NGOs, the RSS on Sunday reacted strongly, saying it should “respect” India’s sovereignty and asked whether it was “the global police of democracy”.
Charging the NGOs like Greenpeace and Ford Foundation with violating Indian laws, the RSS questioned US’ defence of the two organisations and chided it for “jumping the gun”. The RSS mouthpiece ‘Organiser’ in its editorial titled “The un-civil intervention”, has also questioned whether the United States would allow such violations by so-called non-profit and non-political NGOs in their own country.
The outfit has said that by coming out in defence of NGOs like Greenpeace and Ford Foundation by seeking a clarification from India, the “global protector of democratic rights” has ratified the fears of such NGOs being US agencies, as alleged by some of the research works in the US.
“If the US or for that matter any country wants to come clean on the issue of foreign funding for raising ‘rights based issues’, they have to respect the sovereignty and cultural ethos of the home country. “Otherwise, NGOism will always be perceived as another un-civil instrument of foreign policy intervention in the name of civil society,” the editorial said.
RSS said the functioning of these NGOs raises doubts about their non-profit and non-political nature and India’s crackdown against such entities in NGO business over their funding has put the “global police of Democracy, the US, in distress”. “The US jumping the gun in defence of international NGOs and seeking ‘clarification’ from the biggest democracy ratifies the fears of them being the US agencies, as alleged by some of the research works in the US,” it said.
The RSS mouthpiece said that due to democratic consideration, the State Department and US Ambassador of India raised voices of concern about ‘regulatory steps’ focused on NGOs. “But while doing so the global promoters of democratic values should ponder on certain questions…Will the US as global protector of democratic rights allow such legal violations to happen in it’s own land?”, the outfit questioned. The editorial said that more than 8,000 NGOs are facing legal action of revoking Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) licences for not producing three years returns and giants in NGO business like Ford Foundation and Greenpeace questioned for their funding.
US Ambassador Richard Verma on Wednesday hit out at the Modi government for the punitive action against scores of NGOs, saying those who act peacefully to seek change are not anti-government and not trying to weaken national security.
Verma further said citizens have a “inalienable right” in a democratic society to argue peacefully and ask questions or challenge laws. “I read with some concern the recent press reports on challenges faced by the NGOs operating in India. Because a vibrant civil society is so important to both of our democratic traditions, I do worry about the potentially chilling effects of these regulatory steps focused on NGOs,” Verma said. (PTI)
