FCRA Amendment Bill is “Loot and Theft of Christian Institutions – A Sangh Parivar Agenda

FCRA Amendment Bill is "loot and theft of Christian institutions - a Sangh Parivar agenda": Archbishop Joseph Dsouza, President, All India Christian Council, to Karan Thapar for The Wire.

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The President of the All India Christian Council and Primate of the Good Shepherd Church of India, Archbishop Joseph Dsouza, has called the government’s proposed amendments to the FCRA Act, which was yesterday, at the last moment, deferred to the next session of parliament, “loot and theft of Christian institutions and their property”. He says this is “a Sangh Parivar agenda”. If passed in the next session of parliament, he says it will create an international storm with serious international repercussions for India.



Archbishop Dsouza said: “This is a straight forward loot and theft of the Christian institutions and their properties through a legal amendment of a bill. Just as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said years ago demonetization was organized loot and plunder, I say if this law is passed this will be the legalized loot of the Indian Christian community and the global Christian community.”



Archbishop Dsouza said: “This is a direct assault on minority rights. We have our right to create institutions, own institutions and when we have already registered as societies, trusts, companies there is other apparatus that if we are doing something foul they can come in. So why are they creating this? I personally believe, and I say this very carefully, this is by stealth a Sangh Parivar agenda to grab Christian institutions of the nation.”



Archbishop Dsouza urged the Home Minister and the Prime Minister to drop the bill altogether. He said: “I would urge through this interview and through you, we are the friends of India, we are the friends of Hindu, I would urge the Home Minister, I would urge the Prime Minister, to do everything in your power to withdraw this bill.”



I am only giving you the headline aspects of the interview. The Archbishop speaks at length about how the Christian church and its properties, hospitals, orphanages, schools would be adversely affected. He also speaks at length about the international repercussions to this bill, particularly in the United States. I think its worth your while hearing him directly. He makes points that many may not have appreciated.



Now a word about the Foreign Contribution Amendment Bill. It creates a designated authority with powers to take permanent control of the foreign contributions and assets of any organization whose foreign contribution registration is cancelled, surrendered or lapses. In turn, the designated authority can transfer those assets and properties to any ministry, department or agency of the central, state or local governments or dispose of them through sale with the proceeds credited to the Consolidated Fund of India. This means that the amendment bill gives the government the power to take over other peoples’ property and do with it as they please.


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