The United States has sought clarification on India’s crackdown on the Ford Foundation and Greenpeace. Addressing a press conference, the US State Department’s Deputy Acting Spokesperson raised concerns on the move:
We are aware that the (Indian) Ministry of Home Affairs suspended the registration of Greenpeace India and has placed the Ford Foundation on a prior permission watch list. We are concerned that this recent ruling limits necessary and critical debate within Indian society and we are seeking a clarification on this issue with the appropriate Indian authorities.
- Marie Harf, US State Dept Deputy Acting Spokesperson
Ford Under Scanner
The Foundation had been under the Intelligence Bureau’s (IB) scanner for the past one year and grants worth $5 million given by it have now been blocked by the government, reports The Economic Times. Meanwhile, the Congress party has condemned the blacklisting.
It is absolutely shocking that a noble organization like the Ford Foundation has been attacked by the BJP government. It contributed to India’s green revolution.
- Mani Shankar Aiyar, Congress Leader (to CNN-IBN)
The Gujarat government had accused the US-based funding agency of interfering in India’s internal affairs and fanning communal disharmony through an NGO run by social activist Teesta Setalvad.
On the basis of the complaint, MHA has ordered that all funds coming into India via the Ford Foundation will pass to recipients only after MHA clearance. MHA has also mandated a clearance from the Department of Economic Affairs under Section 46 of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act.
The government had recently suspended the bank accounts of Greenpeace India, sparking similar controversy.
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