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RSS questions US defence of Ford Foundation, Greepeace

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Press Trust of India New Delhi
Charging NGOs like Greenpeace and Ford Foundation with violating Indian laws, RSS today called US as "the global police of democracy" and questioned its defence of the two organisations.

The party 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 party 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.

The party 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 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 party questioned.

The party said 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.

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First Published: May 10 2015 | 2:28 PM IST

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