With less than three weeks until the Kerala Assembly Election on April 9, K.C. Venugopal, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary, has sharply criticized the central government for its recently introduced Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill.
Speaking at a press conference Monday, the Congress leader claimed that the proposed amendments to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) are being used as a ‘Sword of Damocles’ over all minority communities and charities throughout India.
Targeting the Christian community
Venugopal alleged that the amendments introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 25 are specifically designed to bring all charities run by Christians and other minorities under stricter control of the central government.
“The provisions of these amendments will cripple charities and will permit unprecedented intrusion into the activities of charities by the center,” said Venugopal. He challenged the Prime Minister to explain to the people of Kerala what “exactly does this bill target” in his public meetings while campaigning in the state.
Allegations that bill was passed without adequate notice
Venugopal also alleged that the FCRA bill was passed without adequate notice being provided and that it was strategically timed to coincide with the absences of several MPs from states where elections are being held.
He also indicated that most details about the bill did not come to the attention of any opposition party prior to the government introducing it.
“The details only came to light after Congress MP Manish Tewari highlighted the anomalies and raised strong objections. Despite these concerns, the government moved forward with the introduction,” Venugopal noted. He described the move as part of a larger pattern of “draconian” measures aimed at empowering the Centre to take over organizations by appointing designated administrators.
Targeting minorities in an organised way
Citing the recent events occurring on a national level, Venugopal cited the incidents of priests and nuns that have taken place in certain states, including Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, to illustrate how the acts of violence and discrimination against religious minorities are not random events. He asserted that they are all occurring as part of a larger, systematic effort by the ruling party to discriminate against these religious minorities.
“During our discussion of the Waqf Amendment Bill, we warned that laws like this would one day be used against other religious minorities and against economically disadvantaged castes of Hindus,” he stated. “That warning is becoming true as we speak.”
The Sabarimala ‘silence’
Regarding local elections, Venugopal commented on the Prime Minister’s “remarkable silence” regarding the alleged loss of gold at the Sabarimala temple, which was raised during the Prime Minister’s rally in Palakkad, saying that “The BJP says it represents the devotees, yet the Prime Minister had nothing to say about the loss of the gold at Sabarimala during his rally. Why aren’t we discussing this issue???
‘Selective’ concern of religious sentiments in the BJP
Accusing the BJP of only caring about the religious sentiments of the Hindu community when it is politically convenient to do so, he questioned the party’s silence on the gold issue in relation to the Sabarimala temple.
Congress will fight nationally
Emphasizing that the issue of the FCRA (Foreign Contributions Regulation Act) has “wider ramifications” than just the elections in Kerala, Venugopal stated that Congress will oppose the Bill “in Parliament and in the streets” and demands that authorities immediately withdraw their provisions that would enable the seizure of organizations’ assets.
