Opposition leaders ask PM Modi to restore FCRA licences of NGOs

New Delhi: The opposition leaders have urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to restore the FCRA licenses of NGOs, alleging they were “selectively” targeted.

In a letter to Modi, leaders from Congress, the Left and other parties sought rollback of the decision.

They accused the Centre of trying to "bully the NGOs", while RSS-affiliated NGOs were given a freehand to "collect huge money to further their agenda".

The Home Ministry recently barred some NGOs from receiving foreign funds following alleged adverse intelligence reports against them.

Registration under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) of Act Now for Harmony and Democracy (ANHAD), run by Hashmi, Marwar Muslim Education and Welfare Society, Gujarat-based Navsarjan Trust, Rural Development Research Centre, Ahmedabad, and three others were cancelled by the Ministry, PTI reported.

"The licences had been earlier renewed showing that in the normal course these NGOs had fulfilled the criteria required for registration.

"The decision to cancel their registration is therefore motivated by the politics of vendetta, victimisation and an effort to bully them to silence," PTI quoted the Opposition statement as saying.

The letter was reportedly signed by Sitaram Yechury and P Karunakaran of CPI(M), D Raja (CPI), Ahmed Patel and Renuka Chaudhury (Congress), Premchand Gupta (RJD), Praful Patel and Supriya (NCP) and Neeraj Shekar (SP) among others.

"Such selective targeting of NGOs is abhorrent and anti-democratic... We, therefore, demand that the cancellation of licences to NGOs be revoked," the statement said.